


Across the Police Line

by Miss_V_257



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Badass Lin Beifong, F/F, lin Beifong is so gay, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:08:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28869066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_V_257/pseuds/Miss_V_257
Summary: You had inherited the family business and done what you had to to keep it thriving. You didn’t always like your work, but you did it. This unfortunately, put you at odds with an absurdly attractive Chief of police.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Reader
Comments: 55
Kudos: 93





	1. Strangers in Dark Rooms

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! We’re back Ladies, Theydies, Men, and Gentlethems, (and everyone in between). This is a new story, and as always comments are super appreciated and I love any sort of critique or criticism, so feel free to hit me! 
> 
> -Love, V

You glanced at the clock on the mantle, sitting in the chair behind the old mahogany desk. It was your fathers, everything in this room was your fathers, from the old fire nation antiques on the walls to the roaring fire itself, every inch of the room was a message, a threat, “You try something, you burn.” It was a good message to have, you supposed that’s why you never changed your father’s office. You had changed some things in the house, the kitchen, for example, was much more modern now, you preferred to cook for yourself, much to the bafflement of Djin, your bodyguard, but he would just roll his eyes and busy himself. But the office stayed the same. You inherited the house, the office, the art, and the family business. Lucky you. You would see movers now and then about how glamorous the life of a mafia boss was, however, in the movers, there was a lot less politics, and a lot less bending thrown at your head. But nonetheless, here you were, a quarter past ten, watching the door. It was a simple errand you had sent a few men out on, go get an idea of what the Tripple Threat Triad was up to, and report back. A scouting errand really, nothing more. But they were late, and late is not something one should be when involved in mobs, gangs, and general illegal activity. You reached into your pocket, pulling out your pocket watch to see if the mantle clock had run fast, it was old enough, it could be wrong. “You know, it’s not going to be any different on there, Miss Ran.” Djin reminded you. “I’m aware, thank you, Djin.” You sighed. You had known Djin since you were a child, he would watch you when your parents were in meetings, or out at night. He was always by your side, a shadow in the corner of your eye, your oldest ally, maybe the only one you could trust. Now he stood next to the fireplace, looking at the door as you were. You tucked your watch away and let your right hand drop to your thigh, pulling out your favorite knife, the one your parents had given you for your tenth birthday. You loved to run your hands over the ornate gold on the hilt, the two dragons intertwining to bring their mouths to the blade, fangs poised over either edge, almost as if they might bite the blade itself. The bottom of the hilt held a garnet, wrapped in their tails. When you were little you would imagine the two dragons were your parents, it wasn’t hard to do, the rubies in one of their eyes had been replaced with sapphires to represent your mother, and the large pearl at the end had been replaced with a garnet to represent you, the lovely little mix of fire and water, although thinking back on it now, perhaps obsidian would have fit better, but you guessed it wasn’t as precious. You ran the tip of the blade under your fingernails, a habit that your mother had despised, however, you had been told you looked rather intimidating doing it. So here you were, sitting in your father’s office, well, your office, playing with your favorite knife, waiting for a report. It was in everyone’s best intrest that the men who had went out were not caught, and if they were caught and killed by the Triad, well, you might just have to kill them yourself after you found the bodies. Finally, there was a knock at the door, you nodded and Djin went to answer it. He opened the door to reveal three shaking men, quite a sight considering how large they were, wringing their hands and looking to you. You cleared your throat, “Are you going to come in, or are you going to waste my time quivering in the doorway?” You continued playing with the knife after sparing them a glance and a raised eyebrow.

The first one all but fell forward, “We’re sorry Miss, we, we lost track of time!” He tripped over himself trying to bow to you after rushing in, the other two following close behind him. You set the knife down in front of you, uncrossing your legs and leaning forward a bit. “Oh, you lost track of time? Well, I’ll be sure to have watches made for the lot of you then, well, two of you, I’ll need to get the leather for the bands somewhere.” You said, staring them down. You had perfected the art of staring someone down while looking mildly disinterested, something you were quite proud of actually, Djin always said you looked like your mother when you did it. Now you had three grown men all but wetting their pants in front of you. We’re you actually going to hurt them, no, but you did need to make them think you would. You held your silence until one of them started sniffling and finally let up. “Well? What’s your report?” The one on the left actually bust into tears at that, and you barely held back a sigh. The one in the middle spoke up again, he seemed to be the leader of this little team, they were low-levels, they had never interacted with you before, so you had to scare them enough not to question the stories they had no doubt been told. “Nothing.” The one in the front said, and you narrowed your eyes at him. He swallowed, looking like a cat-dear in headlights, “Nothing, Miss. We didn’t see anything like the tip we got.” You stood up slowly, you weren’t very tall, but normally the fact that you had gotten up would do the trick with low-levels like them. You took your knife in your hands and continued playing with it, tracing the hilt and blade with your fingers. “So you’re telling me, you arrive in my office, late, and completely empty handed?” Your voice had dropped dangerously low, and your eyes were fixed on them like prey. The closest one nodded, and you circled around the desk, coming to stand in front of it, leaning back on it slightly as the men in front of you shook. “You’re not making a very good first impression boys.” You said, shaking your head. The leader dropped to his knees, the other two quickly following suit, and blubbered out an apology. “I’m sorry Miss Ran, I’m so, so, sorry, it won’t happen again, I swear!” You looked down at the three of them on their knees in front of you, begging for forgiveness, that should be enough scaring them, you thought. You leaned down, using your knife to make the leader look up at you, the blade under his chin, “No, no it will not.” You nicked him slightly as you stood up, enough to maybe let a few drops of blood, but nothing more. “Now get out of my home before you bleed all over my carpet.” You said, sitting down behind the desk again. The three men desperately ran out the office door, and you listened to their steps as they ran down the hall and out the front door, waiting for it to slam behind them. You nodded to Djin again and he checked the hall and locked the grand front doors before coming back in. “They’re gone, Miss Ran.” You sighed, taking out a cloth from the desk to clean your blade, “Do you think I scared them enough?” You asked him. He gave a short huff, which you had come to know as his version of a laugh, “Yes, I believe so, Miss.” you smiled up at him as he came to sit in front of your desk, “Will you be doing anything else tonight? That was your last appointment.” You nodded, focusing on the blade, “Yes, thank you. I think I’ll go out actually, I wanted to get a drink.” He raised his brow at you, “Are you alright?” You nodded again, “I’m fine, Djin. It’s just been a long day of terrorizing people.” You smiled as you holstered the blade. “Alright then, Miss, shall I accompany you?” He asked, seemingly satisfied. “No thank you, I’ll go out by myself tonight, you may take the rest of the night off if you like.” 

He stood as you did, “I’d like to know that you’re safe, Miss Y/N.” You sighed again, “And I will be Djin, I’m just going out to get a drink, that’s all.” He nodded again, definitively unsatisfied this time. “Very well, but I would like to say that I do not like you going out on your own, Miss Ran.” You laughed as he went back to your surname, following you as you left the room. “And I would like to say that I do not like that you insist on not calling me by my first name, and yet here we are.” He shook his head as you went up to your room to change. You slipped off your black pants and formal shirt and into a little back dress. The keckline was low enough to show you off, but the hemline on the skirt covered your knife holsters as well. You twisted your knife to the inside of your thigh to avoid and bumps, and slipped another one down your front into your bustier under the dress, it was almost a corset with how far down your waist it went, but it hid weapons well and lessened the impact if you were hit, so you wore one every day regardless. You slipped on your shoes before you went out, deciding to call for a cab to take you to downtown Republic City. You paid for the cab and walked to the bar, passing the main square and the police station. You smiled at the irony as one officer tipped his head gear to you, heading to your favorite bar quickly. You stepped in and heard loud jazz all around you, the upbeat brass was a welcome change to your quiet home. You made your way to the bar and ordered your drink, before taking it up to your favorite booth, it was a bit quieter then the rest of the place, and quite secluded. You could watch the dance floor and the door largely without being seen. You watched people dance for what seemed like hours, smiling as they jumped and twisted to the music. A waiter would occasionally come and ask if you wanted another drink, and you always politely declined. At one point there was a bit of commotion at the door, but nothing you could make out. You went back to watching the dancing for awhile before someone slipped quietly into your booth, apparently not noticing you. You recognized the glint of metal armor beneath a trench coat as the woman sighed, relaxing slightly. You smiled, “It can be a bit much, can’t it?” You enjoyed it as the woman’s eyes immediately snapped to you. She did have beautiful eyes, a light jade, you could almost get lost in them. You made your way from her eyes, down the bridge of her nose, to her mouth, she had full lips too, slightly parted in surprise. Her jawline was sharp and firm, with two scars crossing up her face to her very pronounced cheekbones. You took in her silver hair, slightly glowing in the dim light before meeting her eyes again. She looked at you questioningly, apparently your appreciation of her features had not gone unnoticed. You raised a brow. “Yes,” she started, “I suppose it can be.” You had heard Lin Beifong speak before, of course. You had even seen her before, many times, you had even run from her a few times, but you had never been this close. Her voice was different up close, the deep, slightly gravely tone wasn’t what you were expecting. She cleared her throat. “I apologize, I didn’t realize anyone was sitting here, Miss...” she trailed off as she looked at you, practically dissecting you with her eyes, you wondered if she could see what you were thinking, that would certainly be bad for business. You smiled again, “Call me Y/N,” you extended your right hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chief Beifong.” She looked at your hand, “I see I don’t need to introduce myself then.” She took your hand before her eyes immediately shot up to yours, “Your hands are freezing.” She furrowed her brows, you could feel the calluses on her hands, the strength in them. You would be lying if you said you didn’t find it attractive, but this was Lin Beifong after all, and flirting with the enemy, well, one of your many adversaries, was not wise. You chuckled as you pulled back, “Yes, I do tend to run cold, I get it from my mother, I believe.” 

She raised her brow, examining you, her eyes tracing your hair, your face, your lips, you smiled as they paused for a moment on your chest, apparently the dress had worked then. When her eyes came back up to yours she looked slightly flustered at having been caught. “How old are you?” She asked, clearing her throat afterwards. You raised a brow to match as you brought your drink to your lips, taking a slow sip. “Why? Do you plan on arresting me for underage drinking, officer?” You smiled as she started slightly, her eyes fixed on your lips after taking a drink. You cut her a break, it wouldn’t do to actually frustrate her and get yourself in any sort of trouble. You went through great pains to keep your name clear, and angering the chief of police would not aid in that endeavor. “How old are you, Chief Beifong?” You asked her gently, watching as her hand went to her drink, bringing it up to take a sip. You watched as she swollowed, her throat bobbing up and down slightly. She opened her mouth to say something but you shook your head. “It’s considered an impolite question. But if you must know I’m in my late twenties, and plenty old enough to drink.” You took her glass and brought it close to your face, sniffing it slightly. “Whisky?” You hummed. “Did you have a long day? Or is this normal for you?” You asked, setting the drink down again in front of her. She kept your gaze. “It wasn’t a particularly long day, but my work is always stressful.” You nodded, “I can imagine.” You looked out over the dancefloor again. They all seemed so carefree. “So you came here to take your mind off of it?” You asked her. She followed your gaze, “I suppose so.” A waiter came up to your table, looking at the two of you. You must have made quite the odd pair. You both turned to him, and the poor boy blanched, mumbling an apology before starting to turn away. “It’s alright.” You said, nodding to the young man. He smiled in relief as he came up to the table, “Can I get the two of you anything else to drink? Perhaps a refil?” He asked shyly, glancing back and forth between the two of you. You were about to say no before the Chief answered for you. “I’ll have another whisky, and you can get her another of what she’s having as well.” You looked at her in surprise, raising your brows, before turning to the boy and giving him your order. He hurried off to the bar to get your drinks. “Trying to get me tipsy, Chief?” You asked, and smirked as she blushed slightly at your question. “Not at all, Miss Y/N, you simply seemed to have a long day as well.” You couldn’t help the rush that went through you when she said your name, you took a deep breath as you moved a bit closer to her, you could see her stiffen slightly, but she didn’t pull away. “Well thank you then.” The boy came back with your drinks, and Lin paid before he hurried away. A Beifong was paying for your drinks, the irony was not lost on you. Djin would be dying if he could see you. You sat there quietly and sipped at your drinks, watching the people swing and dance together, occasionally glancing at one another. You had almost finished yours when she noticed the time, seemingly startled by it. “I have to go, I have work tomorrow.” She said, placing her almost empty drink on the table before moving to stand up. You placed your hand on her shoulder, causing her to still and look at you. “That’s a shame.” You said, taking her whisky and drinking the last sip. “Until next time then.” You then did something that could only be described as a terrible idea, you leaned in and kissed her. Gently, very gently, and quick, but it was certainly enough to leave an impression. Her eyes were wide as you pulled away from her and stood up, walking to the exit. You turned around and gave her a little wave before you left to get a cab home. You sighed as you got In the Satomobile. That was a terrible, terrible business move.


	2. Toppled Footing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hit close to home forces you to make a move, leaving you on uncertain ground both figuratively and literally.

When you arrived home from the bar, you paid the cab quickly and went right up to your room. Your head was spinning a bit, and you had the slightest suspicion it wasn’t just from the drinks. No, In all your wildest dreams, greates plans, and perhaps worst nightmares, you had never imagined kissing Lin Beifong. The cheif of police, Lin Beifong, public servant royalty, Lin Beifong. Yet here you were, sitting in front of your mirror with whisky on your lips and jade eyes on your mind. Jade eyes wide with surprise when you pulled away, but there was something else there too, she didn’t look disgusted, which was certainly a good sign, but you couldn’t pinpoint that look exactly. You undressed and bathed before going to bed. What you had done was an absolutely terrible idea. It put you, as well as the business in trouble, which was something you simply could not do. There were people counting on you, families that were fed by your hands, your operation. What you did was illegal, yes, and occasionally bloody, but it also helped good people. It hurt people, but it helped good people too. You shook your head, drifting off to sleep, doing your best to think of anything but the feeling of Lin Beifong’s lips on your own. Sleep did not come easily. You tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before giving up and turning on a light. You pulled out the book you were currently reading, skimming over the pages for a while, letting you mind go numb to the world outside of its leather-bound pages. It was a good trait you had inherited from your father. You remembered he could always get lost in a book. No mater the circumstances, he could escape them in writing. Your parents may have left you with a dark shadow hanging over your head, but they left you a way to escape too. What else you had inherited from your parents had been the subject of rumors for a long time, since their death and your ascension of the “Ran Empire” as some of the gangs called it. Many had assumed your mother couldn’t bend, she was a beautiful woman from the water tribes and nothing more, as opposed to your terrifyingly powerful fire bending father. You had heard the rumors since you were a child, that your mother had been sold to your father, or that she was a concubine of some sort, you had heard it all. But you knew one thing, your mother loved your father, and your father loved her, even in their final moments. It saddened you sometimes, knowing that in all likelihood you would never love someone like that, let alone be loved like that. You sighed as you closed the book, rubbing your eyes. There was no use in staying up any later, and the reading had calmed your mind enough. You switched off the light and went to sleep, again trying not to think of pale scars and soft lips.

You woke with a start. Someone was pounding on your door, that was not good. People don’t pound on a Mafia leader’s door, not unless something is seriously wrong. You reached for your knife on your bedside table and went to the door, putting your foot behind the edge before opening it slightly. There stood a rather flustered Djin, which was also not a good sign. You opened the door the rest of the way to look at him. “What happened?” You asked, not wasting time on anything else. He shook his head, “They were wrong, the men last night, either they were paid by someone else or they were wrong.” Djin seemed slightly breathless, the stoic man was never breathless, you had seen him practically turn someone to melting butter and not so much as blink an eye, but now he was upset. “The Triads?” You asked him, raising a brow. He nodded solemnly. “What did they hit?” You knew the Triads had been wanting to make a move on you for a while. You had run your parent’s empire for nearly ten years now, but as the Triads grew, they saw you as a weak point, a girl running a man’s job, an easy target. Djin sighed, “Miss Ran.” He shook his head again, “What did they hit?” You repeated. He finally met your eyes, “The orphanage, Miss Ran. They hit the orphanage.” You felt the anger rise in you quickly, threatening to engulf you. You had become the Republic City Orphanage’s main patron after your parents were killed. It was, in a way, marked as your territory, but you had never thought any gang would actually go after it. They were children. You understood this life, you grew up in it, however you were always taught not to bother civilians. Other gangs, other criminals, even the police, they were part of the underbelly of the city, the masses of troops fighting for the same land and resources. But civilians were different. This wasn’t just a hit, this was a personal attack. This was a declaration of war. You turned and shut the door, quickly changing into some clothes. A black pencil skirt falling well below your knees and a loose black dress shirt. You always wore formal wear, but now, now you were going to make a statement. The older, more well established gangs knew that everything that the public figure wore was a message, you had been trained on this from childhood. You wore mourning clothes, all black with a black coat over your shoulders, leaving your body mostly shadowed. It was warm, but the coat said something itself. It was the coat you wore to your parents’ funeral. It was a statement, you told those watching you that this was personal. Finally, you looked in the mirror, you fixed your face normally and your hair half down. You took a hairpin out of your jewelry box, a red one. Not just any red one either, it was an old one, it had been in your family for generations. It, not surprisingly, had a dragon on it, but the name of it was more interesting. There were certain peices in all the long standing gangs that meant something, this one was a declaration of war. The awaking dragon, an omen fixed in your hair so quickly, but with so much meaning behind it. You tucked your knives into their usual places, one at your hip, another in between your breasts, and one at your ankle. You put on your shoes before walking with Djin to the garage, getting in your Satomobile silently. He looked at your hair when you got in the car, then met your eyes and nodded. He knew, they would all know soon enough. You drove to the orphanage, smoke still rising from the rubble as you got out of your Satomobile. There were photographers everywhere, with flashes on the rubble, the police making their way through the scene, and some of the children and staff standing, looking at their ruined home. You heard you name be called by one of the reporters, “Miss Ran! Do you have anything to say about this?” As soon as one recognized you, they all swarmed. The media knew Y/N Ran, the philanthropist, the gangs of the city knew someone else entirely. It was like that for most of the old-timers and heavy hitters, when you had power, you didn’t need to show it off. 

You could feel the flashes on your face and heard the barrage of questions as you walked closer to the scene. “Miss Ran, who do you think could be responsible for this?” “Miss Ran, what does this mean for the Orphans?” “Miss Ran, will you support the police in bringing the perpetrators to justice?” They were all questions being yelled at you, you ignored them as you stepped closer to the rubble. They had burned it, the whole building, and there, on the doorstep, a small triangle with a lightning bolt in the middle. They had signed their work, they might as well have signed a death warrant. It was one of the kids who recognized you first, you had liked to visit as often as you could, and came at least one Thursday a month to read to them, and make sure they were all well taken care of. A little girl, Wei, if you were correct, ran up to you and hugged your legs, crying. “Miss Y/N, they burned our house,” you knelt down to look at the girl, “where are we going to go now?” Her big eyes looked up at you. You didn’t know, you couldn’t take them to your home, that was too dangerous. A hotel wouldn’t be sustainable, but there were some extra properties that might fit if you remembered them right. You wiped the girl’s tears away. “It’s alright Wei, I’m going to find somewhere for you to stay.” She nodded and hugged you tighter, her little body wrapping around yours. One of the staff came up and took her away from you, leaving you to asses the damage. You sighed at the mess in front of you, anger and grief threatening to spill over at any moment. You heard the clanking of metal armor before someone came up beside you, clearing their throat. “I’ve been told you were the sponsor of this establishment.” She said, and the familiar voice caused you to sigh once again, this time in exhaustion. This is not what you needed right now, this is the last thing you needed right now. But here was the cheif of police, Miss Lin Beifong herself standing next to you. Waiting for you to respond. You turned to face her, “I am, Cheif Beifong.” Her eyes snapped to you, recognizing your voice. She seemed stunned for a moment. Perhaps it was the gravity of the situation, perhaps it was you. “I, Miss Y/N.” She stuttered, examining you now in your day clothing, even if it was mourning black. You sighed again, turning to face the wreckage. “I had hoped I would see you again under much different circumstances.” You paused, “How many were hurt?” You asked her, your voice nearly a whisper. You were separated by police from the crowd, and she stood close, but leaned in slightly to hear you. “None dead, seven injured.” She replied, almost curtly. You nodded. “How badly?” You questioned. She replied again, ever the duitiful civil servant, “Three in comas from smoke inhalation, the rest will be out of the hospital in no time. The healers will do their best.” You nodded again. You turned to look at the crowd for a moment, cameras and reporters were focused on Wei and her caretaker at the moment, and you were partially hidden by police vehicles. You took off your coat, laying it on a piece of rubble next to you, you then toed off your heels, putting you firmly shorter than the cheif. You pushed your heels to the side and put your hand on her shoulder, causing her to stiffen and look at you. You could feel her breath as her chest moved up and down. You used her for balance as you climbed up into the wreckage, looking before each step. “Miss Y/N! You can’t do that, that is an unstable structure, not to mention the potential injury from the rubble!” Lin called behind you, but you waved her off as you stepped from piece to piece, looking for anything that could identify that this pile was once a home to children. You heard Lin grunt behind you as she climbed up after you, making her way towards you quickly. You continued to step from piece to piece, looking at the mess. A dull reflection caught you eye, you looked down to see a button, and another, it was a little doll, the one Wei always had with her. 

You leaned down to pick it up, balancing carefully on the chunk of concrete you were standing on. Just as you grabbed it, you felt the whole thing shift, you could feel the piece start to give way, and you heard a shout behind you. You jumped backwards, leaping from one rock to another until you got to the edge, perhaps all those self defense classes and dance lessons your parents insisted on did you good outside of your illegal activities, you landed gently on the edge of the pile, watching as the center collapsed inwards. You suddenly felt arms around your waist as you were pulled down and away from the sinking rubble collapsing into the basement. The breath was knocked out of you as firm hands placed you upright, one hand on each hip, as you leaned back slightly into the body behind you. You smelled sweat, iron, and a hint of jasmine for a brief moment, just breathing as you tried to catch your breath. You felt air on your shoulder and leaned your head away from it slightly, letting your back press against metal armor over firm muscles. The breathing behind you hitched just slightly, and you couldn’t help but smile a bit. “Thank you.” You said quietly, still finding your breath. You felt the woman behind you stiffen slightly, “You shouldn’t have done that.” When she spoke, you could feel the vibrations through your own chest, causing your heart rate to speed up. You felt a sharp intake of breath behind you and chuckled. “You’re watching me, aren’t you?” You asked, still not moving. “What?” Lin asked you, “You’re watching me, you’re sensing my heartbeat.” She cleared her throat slightly and you pulled yourself away from her, heading over to your shoes and coat. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly, and you looked at her in surprise. “Why? You’re only doing your job, aren’t you? You were making sure I was safe.” She mirrored your expression, locking eyes with you before glancing at your lips. You smiled a bit, you didn’t need to feel her heartbeat to know that hers had changed. “You didn’t tell me who you were.” She said, looking back at your eyes. You raised a brow, “Who I am?” You asked her and she shook her head. “You’re Y/N Ran. One would think that your last name would be an important part of introducing yourself.” You smiled softly as you put your shoes on, noticing her swallow as she could no longer feel you as easily. “Why, so you can decide who I am before talking to me? Your place has been made, Cheif Beifong, but I can still enjoy a bit of anonymity.” She scoffed, “Decide who you are? I know who you are. You’re practically a princess living off her family’s money.” You stilled. Your eyes found hers and held them. “Ah yes, I’m quite cold and detached aren’t I? That’s why I got this.” You held the doll up a bit, bringing her eyes to it. You looked down at the little doll. “It’s Wei’s favorite, she can’t sleep without it. Her grandmother made it for her before she got sick. I don’t know what happened to her parents.” You said, looking at the little doll. You heard footsteps as a few cops and Djin came running over. “What were you thinking?” He asked you incredulously. “Do you know how seriously you could have been injured?” You brushed him off, as well as the officers, calling out for Wei. The little girl came running to you and you knelt down to give her her doll. “You found her! Thank you Miss Y/N!” You smiled at the little girl, “Of course.” You looked at Djin, “I’ll have to find somewhere for them to stay before deciding on a new location.” He nodded as you turned to Lin, who looked at you with shock and a twinge of regret on your features. “I’m sure you’ll want to speak with me, you know where to find me.” You turned to Djin again as you headed for your Satomobile, it was time for the Triad to seee the real dragon.


	3. Questions on the Chopping Block

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Lin knocks on your door to ask you some questions, it leads you far from where you would expect, into the kitchen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (P.S. I vaguely described cooking ramen? Because I’m clueless? I tried my best, feel free to offer any criticism.)

It had been two days since the attack on the orphanage. You had set up the children at one of the properties you owned, much deeper into your own territory this time. It was also, quite conveniently, a few blocks in between the police station and fire department buildings. If the Triads wanted to try something again, they would have a much more difficult time at it. You had received letters from two of the older, more wide spread mobs in the city, both with the same message. “We have no part in this.” It was good not to have more enemies, however they were underwhelming in their support. You had helped fix up the new building for the orphanage yourself, doing your best to move bunk beds and cribs into rooms, making sure the house was mostly childproof. It had been a long two days. You knew you would have to strike the Triads soon, but just how you would do so wasn’t decided yet. You smiled internally as you headed down to the kitchen, your kitchen. The Triads would probably assume you were too scared to make a move, but you simply hadn’t decided how best to hurt them yet. You opened the door to your kitchen, rolling your sleeves up and tying your hair back. You were going to prepare a massive meal for the orphanage and deliver it to them. You figured they could use a hot, home cooked meal, and conveniently, you could cook, and had a kitchen large enough to do so. You started by unpacking the packages of groceries you had delivered, plenty of flour salt and water to make the noodles, as well as dried mushrooms and pork bones to make the broth. You had decided on a noodle soup, it was your favorite when you were little, and you knew that it could be made for large amounts of people quite easily. You filled up a giant pot with water, adding the dried mushrooms and pork bones, as well as the kombu you had ordered. You put in the lid, letting the broth cook for a while. You were about to start on the noodles when Djin came in, knocking first, but rather quickly. “Yes?” You asked him, as you lifted the second bag of flour onto the island table. “The Cheif of police it here, Miss Ran.” You raised a brow, “Oh,” you looked down at yourself, already dusted with flour and most likely mildly covered in spices. “She’s alone, Miss Ran.” He said, causing you to look at him abruptly. You smiled, “Well then, bring her down, there’s no sense in taking her into my office if she’s alone.” Djin nodded and turned to go get her, you smiled at the idea of the poor woman, probably standing alone on your doorstep. You adjusted your suspenders, a deep leather over your cream top and customary high waisted dress pants. You let yourself take a deep sigh as you cut open the second bag of flour. This would certainly be interesting. You usually made noodles on the counter, so you grabbed your bowl of water before starting in the first batch, you were scooping out the flower into a circle when there was another knock at the kitchen door. “Come in!” You called, sprinkling some salt onto the flour. Djin opened the door and held it for a woman clad in metal, how lovely. He looked to you and you gave him a quick nod before he left you and the cheif alone. She scanned you up and down, and you let her stare as you poured some water into the center of your circle and began to mix in the flour. 

“Are you just going to stare at me, or do you plan on asking questions?” You asked her, glancing up from what your hands were doing. She looked mildly annoyed before she answered, but you swore her cheeks colored for just a moment. “What are you doing?” She asked you, and you smiled up at her. “Cooking, if that’s alright.” She looked around the kitchen, “That’s a lot of food for just one person, who else lives here?” She asked, and you noticed she was expecting you to be alone. “No one, I live alone, however the food is for the children, I think they could use a home-cooked meal.” You stated as you continued kneading the dough. She looked mildly surprised. “You can cook?” She asked, and you laughed a bit. “Yes, I can.” You paused before adding with a smirk, “This princess doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty.” You looked up at her, standing across the island from you. She looked away before meeting your eyes. “I shouldn’t have assumed.” She said, setting her jaw to look at you squarely. “People have assumed similar things about me since I joined the force and I never liked it.” You looked at her eyes, she was so honest, so true. It was almost painful in a way, you decided you didn’t want to lie to her, so you needed to make sure you wouldn’t have to. “I can’t imagine you did.” You said. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been called worse.” You smiled before continuing. “Sit down and ask me what you have to ask me.” She did, taking a seat opposite from you on a stool by the island counter. She pulled out a pen and small notebook. “Do you know why someone would want to attack the orphanage?” She asked as you began to work on the dough again, slowly adding more water and flour, making more and more. “No, I do not know why someone would want to hurt children.” You said firmly. She wrote something down before looking back up at you. “Do you know who might have done this?” She asked, and you glanced at her. “Did you see the front doorstep?” You asked her, and she nodded. “That’s the Tripple Threat Triad’s calling card if I am not mistaken.” She nodded again. “Would they have a reason to target you?” She asked, and you let your hands stop working for a moment, but didn’t lift your eyes from what you were doing. “Why would anyone target me, money? Extortion?” You asked, finally meeting her eyes. “I am a young woman responsible for a considerable estate as well as several businesses.” That was true. “I am a girl to them, an easy target. I buy and sell art in galleries, I manage properties, to them, I am a princess,” you paused. “I’m assuming they think I’ll be easy to fool then.” She looked at you, clearly surprised, and opened her mouth several times to say something before closing it. You looked back down, continuing your kneading. “I am a woman in a man’s world, Cheif Beifong. I’m sure you can relate.” You sighed as you worked the dough, you didn’t lie to her, but you didn’t tell her everything either. It was a good balance, your parents taught you never to lie if you could help it, and you never did. The cheif wrote for a moment before looking back at you. “Why the orphanage?” She asked, “If I’m correct, you support several charities as well as owning your own ventures, why would they choose the orphanage.” You laughed ruefully, not looking up. “What would you choose?” You asked her, “If you wanted to hurt me, to scare me?” You looked up at her, leaning on the counter as you finished with the last bit of dough. “Would you go after one of my businesses, or would you stay closer to home.” She looked at you intensely, glancing between your face and your hands. “You would remind me that I am not so different from those children. That I have no family, and that I am alone.” Lin took a breath as she looked up at you. “I’m sorry to ask.” She said, watching your eyes. 

You leaned back and turned to set anther pot of water on the stove, turning on the gas before turning back to her. “Why?” You began to pull apart the noodles, stretching them into the proper shape. “The fact that my parents are dead is no secret.” You said to her, keeping your eyes on what you were doing, careful not to stretch the dough too far or too quickly. She continued to glance between your face and your hands, watching you work. “How old were you?” She asked, and you continued pulling and stretching without faltering. “Seventeen.” You replied, your voice clear and steady. You had been asked many times, both how old you were and plenty of other questions surrounding your parents death. “It was a robbery gone wrong wasn’t it?” She asked, and you nodded. Technically there was an attempted takeover, but you supposed that was just the robbing of power, you sidestepped another lie. “Yes.” You said, laying the batches of noodles down in front of you. The cheif continued to watch what you were doing. “I worked that case, I knew that the daughter had found them, but I never talked to her myself.” She looked up at your face, “I never talked to you.” You nodded. “I know.” There was silence for a moment. You opened a drawer to get a knife to cut the ends of the noodles, removing the loops that held them together, and slicing through the center, halving them. You sighed as you turned to add them into the now boiling water, dropping in each handfull one by one. You placed the lid on that pot and checked your broth, opening the lid, and peaking in to see if the color had changed. You heard Lin sigh behind you, “That smells delicious.” She said, breaking the silence, you smiled as you placed the lid on and turned to her. “I’m glad, my mother didn’t love to cook, but I always found it very calming.” She nodded, glancing back down at her note pad. “Well, I suppose that’s all I have to ask you.” She said, moving to stand up, you raised your brows slightly. “Really, you came all the way out here just to ask me a few questions?” She swollowed as she looked at you again. This time her eyes glancing between your own and you lips. You smiled a bit. “Help me then.” You told her, and she looked suprised. “I don’t think that would be appropriate, considering I am personally handling this case.” She stood up but she didn’t move. You nodded and stepped closer to her, slightly invading her personal space. “It’s well after noon, and I’ll have to take the dinner to the children in about an hour. Do you have to go back to the station this evening?” You asked her quietly, spirits she was stunning up close, and you loved watching as those jade eyes scanned yours. She shook her head, firmly, but slightly unsure. She swollowed again. You were close enough to smell her, even in the kitchen, and the familiar scent of metal and jasmine made you want to lean into her. You reached behind you and grabbed the kitchen knife, bringing it in between you and placing it in her hands. “Then help me.” You pulled away, with a bit of difficulty, and took out the pork belly you had put in the oven earlier that day. You placed it on the counter, and nodded to her. “Between a quarter and half an inch thick please.” She nodded and set to work slicing the meat for you. You took out the fresh vegetables from the delevery packages and began slicing them next to her. You were tired, and thankful for the help, and she didn’t seem to mind, apparently. You chopped in silence for a moment before she spoke again. “Were you drunk?” She asked you, and you stoped cutting to look at her. You turned to face her fully, meeting her eyes. “No.” She nodded, looking back to what she was doing. “It wasn’t unwelcome was it?” You asked her, and she stopped for a moment before continuing, “No.” she said. You nodded and finished up, scooping the vegables into a large paper bag. 

You would keep most of the ingredients dry and separate, so only one large pot of broth had to travel. When she finished up, you wrapped the meat in paper before placing it in a separate bag. You took the large glass container of marinated eggs from the icebox, setting it next to the bags on the counter. Lin simply watched you, not knowing what to do, she looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure. You decided to take the pressure off of her. “Do you think they’ll like it? It was my favorite when I was younger,” you chuckled a bit, “it might still be my favorite now.” Lin exhaled a bit, glad to talk about something. “Yes, it certainly smells good.” You smiled again, it was so easy for her to make you smile, real smiles for once, it was nice. You set the strainer in the sink, heading back to the stove, “I just have to strain the noodles and I believe we’ll be ready.” You went to lift the pot but Lin interrupted you. “Let me.” She said. You watched in amazement as she moved her hand slightly and effortlessly bended the pot into the air, bringing it over to she sink and slowly pouring it into the strainer. When the strainer filled up, you took the noodles and placed them in another bowl, before setting the strainer back in the sink so she could finish. The whole time the pot just sat in the air, not even moving. When all the noodles were done, she set it down back on the stove. You smiled at her, in amazement, “Thank you.” You chuckled a bit, “That was incredible.” Lin blushed slightly but smiled, “It was just some simple bending.” You shook your head. “I know how heavy that pot is, believe me, and you held it perfectly still. That is an incredible amount of control.” She swallowed and took the compliment this time. Unbeknownst to her, you portioned out two meals from each bag as you rolled up the tops, then the noodles and ladled out some broth from the pot. You smiled back at her, “Would you mind helping me load everything up into the Satomobile, Cheif?” She shook her head, but spoke anyway, “You don’t have to call me that.” She said softly, and you met her eyes once again. “What would you like me to call you?” You asked, not realizing how easily the question flowed from your lips. “I..” she hesitated for a moment, and a blush spread on your cheeks. “You can call me Lin, I suppose.” She said, and you sighed in relief, nodding. “Very well, would you mind helping me with this then, Lin?” You asked again, enjoying her name on your lips. You weren’t the only one apparently, from the way she looked at you. You loaded everything up and got in the Satomobile, driving the food to the orphanage, you dropped everything off and headed back after saying hello to the kids, making sure to check on each one. Lin watched you the whole time, seemingly suprised by how easy you were with them. You drove back to your home in silence, and when you got there, she helped you carry the pots back to your kitchen. “I suppose I should be going then.” She said, and you shook your head. “I can’t let you go just yet.” You said, and you could see her become a bit nervous. You gestured to the small table in the corner of the kitchen. “Sit.” You said, and thankfully she just followed your instructions. You went to the stove, pulling out a much smaller pot, and pored in the remaining ingredients, heating them up. “You didn’t really think I would let you do all this work without tasting it, did you?” Your asked her, a playful note in your voice. She cleared her throat before speaking, “I suppose not.” You smiled at her as you went and poured her a glass of water, as well as yourself. You set the glasses down in front of her, and your place. You were standing close to her again, in the dimly lit kitchen, well after the sun went down. It reminded you of the first time you spoke to her. “Would you like anything else to drink, Lin?” You asked her quietly, your body only inches away from hers. She shook her head, “No thank you.” 

She swallowed again as you reached across her to place the silverware. Again inhaling what was quickly becoming a very addictive scent. Metal and jasmine. You sighed slightly as you stood up. “You smell very feminine.” You said, apparently having no regard for what you should and should not say to the cheif of police. She looked at you with wide eyes. “It suprised me, I didn’t think you would be a flower perfume kind of person.” She continued to stare at you, not knowing what to say. “Oh, alright.” She finally said. You smiled a bit, not moving away from her. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing, just suprising.” She nodded. You stood up fully to go dish out the soup. You carried the two bowls to the table, setting one down in front of her, and another at your own place. “I like it.” You said, before sitting down, causing the cheif to blush deeply. You tilted your head, looking at her as she tried the soup, not meeting your eyes. “How is it?” You asked, looking to her before trying your own. You had made it many times before, but you wanted to know what she thought. “It’s good,” she started, before finally looking at you, “You’re good.” She said, before quickly correcting herself, “You’re a good cook, I mean.” You chuckled before eating some of your own. You ate again almost in silence. You never knew quite what to say to her. Finally, you decided you had to ask her something. “Do I make you uncomfortable?” You asked, looking at her and her almost finished bowl of soup. She met your eyes, suprise once again on her features. “No,” she started. “I just wouldn’t expect it.” You tilted you head questioningly. “Why not? You’re stunning, anyone can see that.” Lin swallowed again and sat up straighter, you worried you had gone too far. “You’re quite the flatterer aren’t you, Miss Ran.” You looked down at your bowl. “No.” You sighed shortly. “Flattery is for personal gain, I can flatter, but I am not right now.” You stood up to take your bowl to the sink, washing it off and letting it off to the side to dry. You walked back over to see that she had finished too, and cleared away her bowl and utensils as well. “Thank you for helping me today. I’m glad I didn’t have to carry all that alone.” You said to her, finally turning around to face her. She hadn’t moved, so you went to go sit at the table. “Do you get lonely?” You asked her, and she met your eyes again, this time with a raised brow. “I mean, you’re surrounded by people all day, you’re the cheif of police, but do you get lonely, at home?” You asked her. She still did not answer. You looked down at you hands, then back up to her again. “I certainly do, but I suppose that’s not your concern.” You waited, still no answer. “It’s a big house, is all. A very big house.” You looked about the kitchen. “It echoes, not just the sound, it echoes more than that, deeply.” You looked to her again. Nothing, she was still watching you. You sighed. “It’s a big house.” You cleared your throat and then stood up, she followed suit quite quickly. You smiled, “I’m not going to bite you, you know. I was going to walk you to your Satomobile.” Finally, she spoke. “Thank you.” You nodded, leading her back up the stairs and to the front entrace of the house. When you got to the door, she put her hand on it first. You turned to her, and she stepped closer to you. Your pulse quickened as she invaded your personal space, waiting to see what she would do. You backed against the door as she stepped closer to you, close enough for you to feel the heat off of her skin. “Miss Y/N” she said, and you nodded, swallowing, “Miss Beifong.” You echoed. She leaned in and kissed you, ever so gently. Again, it was over so quickly, just as soon as she was there, she was gone. When she pulled back you felt yourself begin to lean forward before pulling yourself together. None of this was good, none of this could happen. “Goodnight.” You said as you opened the door for her, she nodded and walked to her Satomobile, getting in and driving away.


	4. Countermoves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You made your first move against the Triads, however, it resulted in some unexpected developments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (P.S. I know this is a bit shorter, but I’ve been feeling really beaten up lately, so I haven’t had a ton of time to write, sorry!)

You had spent the last two days since Lin’s visit primarily in your office. Planning a major attack on one of the most hot-headed and generally child-like gangs in Republic City was not something to be taken lightly. You knew you needed to retaliate, and soon, and you needed to hit them hard. There were a number of ways you could operate, a number of ways any gang could operate. Some were bombers, like the Triads, they went in and made the biggest possible mess. It was fast and the damage was massive, but localized. You, on the other hand, were a surgeon, like your parents had taught you. You found the weak spot, and exposed it. If you were going to hit the Triads, you were going to bring them down. You knew that the Triads would collect their extortions from the western part of their territory tonight, or, that’s what they thought was going to happen. You had stationed your men in plain clothes, in seven concentrated areas, this was going to be fast and clean, and it would cripple them. You had intel on which shop owners and businesses were the most resistant to the Triads, and you informed them that the switch-over from being terrorized by the Triads, to the Ran Empire would be tonight. The Triads were cocky, they would send three footmen along with Two-Toed Ping to collect what the shops owed them. They would follow their standard West route, starting in the most northern part of their western territory, and heading south. If there was any sign of trouble, they would radio for Viper and Mushi. However, if everything went to plan, they wouldn’t even get that far, Ping would be in your hands, and almost a third of the triads earnings for the week would have been gone. The Triads weren’t stable, they needed that money, their men weren’t loyal, and they didn’t have a stable enough income without the extortion. It would be a major blow, not enough to take them down, but enough to send them a message, for now. Enough to weaken them. You couldn’t be in the field for this, if you were spotted or the plan was found out, everything went down, so here you sat, in your office, waiting for the next radio or call. Everything should have started about half an hour ago, the teams should have moved in and surrounded the collection squad. So you waited, and waited, and waited. You paced the room, and you waited. Three quarters past. You waited. It was rounding on the hour when you got the call, the ringing of the phone breaking the silence of your office. “Hello?” You asked, nearly holding your breath, you sighed when you recognized the voice on the end of the line. A gruff voice of one of your older men, one who had been on under your parents, “Hey Garnet, we’ve got a pretty little birdie for you, it’s in a cage now, but well put it in that pen you have.” You smiled, he called you Garnet, your underbelly name, and your “birdie” would be Ping. He was being delivered to your own personal keeping, deep into the woods far away from any prying eyes. You smiled, your first move was made. The Triads were playing Jacks, you were playing Pai Sho.

Ping was sitting, chained up and chi-blocked on a metal chair, in a cell, in your cabin, very far from the city. You sat across from him, playing with your knife, waiting for him to wake up. You heard him hiss as he lifted his head. You cleared your throat, “Ping. It’s a pleasure.” You smiled, looking up at him over your knife. He looked up at you, blinking a few times and then smirking. You watched as he jerked his chained arm towards you. You raised a brow, silently challenging him. He looked at his arm, then to you as he realized he couldn’t bend. “Chi Blocking, I’m sure you’re familiar?” You said, a smirk playing at your own lips this time. Ping all but growled “You are one stupid lady.” He said, anger spreading across his face. You smiled again. “Am I?” You paused, “Well, I’m not the one tied up and unable to bend at the moment.” You raised your brows once again, leaning forward slightly, as if to stand up. “Of course, if you’re not happy with these accommodations we could move you somewhere... cooler.” Ping looked around him, realizing that he wasn’t going anywhere, and that this was better than the alternative. “You’re the little girl aren’t you?” He asked, huffing as he tried to lean forward in his chair. You tilted your head, “Yeah.” He started again, “The little Ran girl.” He chuckled, “You may have gotten me, but you have no idea what you’re getting into sweetheart.” You continued to stare at him, letting him ramble. “You would be better off at your little charities and art shows, or whatever it is that you do.” You smiled at him again, “Perhaps,” you stood up, heading for the door. “But then again, it only takes one.” You opened the door and began to head out. You paused for a moment, turning back to face him. “One piece of a wall is taken away, and it’s a whole lot easier to bring it down.” You saw his face drop as you left the room, locking the door behind you, again. It’s not like he was going anywhere, but extra precautions never hurt anyone. You nodded to the men stationed at the cabin, the three of them bowed deeply before you left, getting in your car to head back home. You were halfway through the city when you noticed another car behind you, it was quite late, well, at this point it was probably quite early, but you gave it no mind. That was until the car had followed you a few blocks, on a few turns even. You looked at the surrounding buildings as you continued down the street, of course you had left without telling Djin, because it was nearly midnight when you left, and the poor man was as tired as you were. And now you were being tailed, in the dark, alone. It was fine, you knew that they would probably drop it once you got to your territory, but you certainly didn’t like the look of it. You took a slight detour, avoiding the usual path you would take. You took deep breaths as you continued driving, you just had to make it back to Ran territory, and you were home free. Then you spotted another car, that was not good. You sped up, taking more random turns, the last thing you wanted was to get cornered. You headed vaguely for your territory, but it wasn’t looking good. A third car pulled in front of you, you were stuck. You slammed on your breaks, looking for a way out, but you had been caught on a one way street. You watched as several men got out of the three cars, scanning their faces. You didn’t recognize any, but you knew the type, low-level thugs. They had probably come up with their own plan to catch you, and hopefully impress their bosses, that would earn them a few yuans. However what they didn’t know, is you had already cut the main supply to the Triads, they were going to be lucky if they could get anything. You sighed, two men per car, that’s six men total. You had three knives on you, your favorite one at your hip, as well as the one in your bustier and one at your ankle. The car you were in also had a few weapons, bladed fans, a sword, and quite an impressive automatic crossbow under the back seat. Well, it was going to be messy. 

You went to reach for the bow, but your car began shifting, wonderful, earthbenders. There were certainly advantages and disadvantages to fighting different kinds of benders, but earthbenders were not your favorites. Fire benders were hot and often quite cocky, waterbenders usually thought they were smarter than they were, but earthbenders, earthbenders were difficult. Then again, you had yet to fight an airbender, so you couldn’t say they were your least favorite. You felt the car be lifted into the air, and you quickly looked down out the window, good, they had you on a platform. You opened the car door, sliding onto your little pedestal. You leaped off, landing on the ground and rolling forward to absorb the impact. You reached for your knife and ran towards the man in front of you, feeling rocks begin to fly past your face, you dodged as you got close to your target, quickly moving around him, using him as a human shield as you sunk your knife into the pressure point in his collarbone. He screamed as you pulled back off of him, quickly fixing on another target. A Boulder flew past you, you brought your arm up to move out of the way, but you were too late. You hissed as you felt the sting of it cutting your arm. You again dodged and wove, spinning through the rocks and boulders flying at you to turn and throw one of your knives, watching it sink into the next bender, you ran to him, pulling your knife from him as you turned to face the remaining four. That’s when you realized where exactly in the city you were, or rather, what you were near. You were distracted for a moment as you looked at the street in front of you, knowing exactly what was two blocks over. You paused, smiling stupidly. Finially, you turned back to the benders just in time to see a giant Boulder careening towards you, you held your breath as you braced for the impact, holding your arms in front of you and closing your eyes. However, you never got hit, from the front. There was a slam into your right side and then you felt the wind whooshing around you. The air was knocked out of you, and you kept your eyes closed as you held on tight. You struggled to breath, finially catching your breath and inhaling a wonderful mix of metal and jasmine. Your eyes snapped open as you realized there was an arm around you, the Cheif of Police’s arm to be exact, and you were flying over the city, swinging from cable to cable. You felt the air almost leave you again as you realized how high up you were. You held on tighter, wrapping one of your legs around the Cheif, and you felt her stiffen slightly as you pulled your body closer. “Spirits above.” You said to her, your voice nearly a whisper above the wind, “You have impeccable timing Ms. Beifong.” You looked up at her face, you could see her smile slightly. “Hang on, my men are at the scene, but I’m getting you some where safe.” You swallowed and pulled yourself into her again. “Yes Ma’am.” You felt her breath hitch when you said it, but now was certainly not the time. You could feel her breathe and grunt slightly as she shifted from building to building, her chest heaving with the exertion. Spirits, she was incredible. You buried your face in her neck, feeling her growl slightly as you did so, the sound almost causing you to let go in surprise. You felt the wind rush around you for a while more, trying to focus on her scent and the sound of her breathing. You just needed to calm down. You landed gently after awhile, and you felt both Lin’s arms come to you. “We’re here.” Said a voice above you, and you nodded, your nose accidentally brushing her neck. You felt her stiffen again, and you unwrapped your leg from her waist, peeling yourself off of her. You turned to face your own front doors, still a little unsteady. The cheif grabbed your arm to steady you and you hissed, buckling into her slightly. She gasped as she jerked her hand away. “You’re hurt.” It was a matter of fact statement, but she said it with care in her voice, it shook you. You met her eyes, her peircing jade eyes. “I’ll be alright. Thank you.”

You swallowed, wanting to say more, but you just stood there. Lin looked from you to your door, and you took another breath, inhaling the scent of the air just outside the city. You opened your eyes to find Lin watching you. “You can come in.” You nodded to her as you stepped forward, opening the door. You turned to find her hesitant. “Please,” you sighed, looking at her, still panting slightly, and feeling your own exhaustion set in. “Please just come in.” She nodded to you, finally following you up the steps and into your home.


	5. Dizzy Scarring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You bring Lin into your house out of exhaustion, and perhaps say more, and reveal more about yourself than you mean to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This chapter is a bit funny, and very all over the place, as y/n’s perspective is impaired. Please let me know what you think, comments and criticism always helps me put out things faster, and I love to hear everything! Have a lovely day!
> 
> \- V

“Please, just come in.” You sighed, looking at Lin in your doorway, you were tired, and a bit beat up, very tired. You could tell she could certainly use some rest too, however, you didn’t want her to leave, maybe it was selfish of you, but you wanted her with you. Lin nodded and stepped into your house, you pushed the giant door closed behind her, using the several locks to close it. You braced your hand on the door when you were done, leaning against it for a moment, just breathing. You were certainly in pain, your left arm had a giant gash down it, not to mention the fact that you were most likely covered in bruises. You rested your head on your hand, only to feel wetness begin to drip down your face. “Damnit.” You said, standing up quickly and turning around. You brought your hand to your face, trying to prevent your nose from bleeding all over the floor. You kicked off your heels, quickly walking down to the kitchen, the kitchen, your kitchen, was safe. It was calm and warm and safe. You heard Lin say your name as you stormed down, and you gestured for her to follow you, “Miss Ran, are you...” Lin trailed off as she saw the blood on the floor. She was behind you in almost a second, “Y/N.” She said, and you stopped, just for a moment to look at her. You saw her eyes go wide as she finally took you in. You were sure you looked like hell, but, regardless, here you were, and here she was. There was blood all over you, only some of it was yours, and you were desperate to be out of the clothes you were wearing. At least you had worn pants, and you did have an undershirt on. You looked up at her again before walking through the kitchen door, heading straight to the sink. You finally let go of your nose, feeing the blood run out of it, well, this wasn’t exactly attractive, but there wasn’t much you could do. You gagged and coughed when the blood ran down your throat, spitting into the sink, you turned on the water and braced your arms on either side, rinsing your mouth out and letting the cold water run over your face. You felt Lin behind you, and jerked when she put her hand on your back. She pullled away, but you shook your head, it wasn’t her, not that she would know that. “Could,” you started, only to sputter again. “Could you hand me a towel please.” You asked her, you felt her leave your immediate side and continued to focus on the cold water on your face. You felt a towel be pressed onto your hand and you stood up, holding it to your nose as the bleeding died down. You turned off the water and sighed, meeting Lin’s eyes again, you could tell they were so full of questions, and you felt as if she was trying to look into your very soul. “I didn’t get hit in the head.” You started, and that seemed to relax her slightly. “I’ve had the nosebleeds since I was a kid, my mother told me they were related to stress, I think my father used to get them too sometimes.” You shook your head slightly, the towel still held to your face. “I can’t remember.” Lin continued to stare at you. “What happened?” She asked. She made it sound so simple, so simple you wanted to laugh. You wanted it to be simple, you wanted it to be that you had just been hit as a scare tactic, but that wasn’t the case, not entirely. “I don’t know.” You said quietly, trying to keep your breathing and heartbeat steady. “I was tailed on my way home, I’m assuming it was to scare me.” You took the towel from your face, checking to make sure the bleeding had stopped. It wasn’t entirely untrue, but something about Lin made you not want to lie to her. “I saw you.” She said, it was almost quiet, but the words carried weight you couldn’t ignore. You sighed, you didn’t want to do this. “And just what did you see, Miss Beifong?” You asked her. It wasn’t fair, you thought, she could feel your heartbeat, you just had to scan her eyes and hope. “I saw you fight.” You nodded, turning your back to her and facing the sink again, bracing your arms on it. You sighed heavily. You did not want to do this, you did not want to do this at all. You turned back to her. 

“My parents weren’t idiots,” you started, turning back to her. “They knew that they had money, and a lot of it.” You turned again, walking towards a cabinet across the room. “They knew that that made them targets, and by extension, that made me a target.” You stopped, opening the cabinet to grab some liquor, it was certainly a liquor night. You grabbed two glasses as well, choosing the whiskey. You smiled as you remembered Lin ordering a whiskey the night you met her. You turned around again, facing Lin. “So, self defense classes were constant, along with the dance lessons.” You smiled thinking back on those, you liked to dance, or, you used to. “And I always had Djin, my big, scary shadow always following me around.” You smiled again. You poured Lin a glass as well as your self, handing her hers and taking a swig of your own before taking the bottle with you back to the sink. You looked at Lin, waiting for her to say something. “You’re good.” She said, it was a statement, not exactly a compliment, but certainly an acknowledgment. You nodded, looking down at the blood on you. “I don’t like it,” you said, trying to make sense of the red liquid that seemed to ooze from your body. “I don’t like it at all.” You shook your head. You looked back up at Lin to find something akin to sadness in her eyes, it was strange, to see the woman express so much emotion in one night, or perhaps you were just seeing what you wanted to. You were tired of the blood on you, of the sticky, crusting, feeling on your clothes, seeping into your skin. You untucked your shirt, seeing Lin stiffen as you did so. You unbuttoned each button, starting from the top, somewhat calmly at first, but getting faster and faster until you all hit ripped your shirt off, throwing it into the sink. You felt yourself practically gasp for air, standing there in your undershirt and pants. You ran your hands over your face and through your hair, looking up to see Lin staring at you, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. You normally had most of your skin covered, you supposed, but now you were standing in front of her with a black tank top on, your chest heaving and your arms still slightly shaking. You watched as her eyes traced your body, your shoulders, your chest, the curve of your waist, until she saw your left arm. “Spirits! Y/N, you’re hurt.” She said, rushing towards you and making to examine your arm. You hissed slightly as she took it, turning your palm up so she you’d see the gash along the inside of your forearm. You pulled away from her, holding your arm over the sink, “What are you..” she started before you grabbed the bottle of whisky and dumped it on your arm, hissing in pain. You clenched your jaw and felt your body shake as it burned, your knees seemed weak, but then she was behind you. Lin was behind you, holding you up. Her arm was wrapped around your waist while the other reached to take the bottle. “Breathe,” she said, and you nodded, leaning into her as you took deep breaths. You felt the burning fade as you inhaled metal and lavender. You felt her hand flex across your stomach and you felt yourself want to just melt into her, to let her have you and just melt away, staying in her arms forever, but you couldn’t, no, you couldn’t do anything like that. You sighed as you pulled away, standing up straight. You turned to face her and watched her shift on her feet slightly. You tilted your head as you examined her. “Is it uncomfortable?” You asked, and her eyes snapped to yours. “Excuse me?” She asked, having no idea what you were takiking about. You smiled, “your armor? Is it uncomfortable?” You clarified. “I feel like it would be after a long day.” You watched her blush and felt your own cheeks color at the implication of what you had said. Lin nodded a bit, seemingly slightly shocked by your words. 

You took a step towards her, watching her face as you did so, she didn’t move away, so you ran your fingers along the metal. It was cool to the touch, and you absentmindedly traced patterns across her chest. You listened to her breathing, feeing her chest rise and fall under your fingertips. You brushed your hand along where her collarbone would be and felt her jerk. Your eyes snapped to hers, taking in her darkened eyes and the blush across her cheeks. “Spirits, you can feel that can’t you?” You asked her, only just now realizing. She nodded, “Yes.” Her voice was slightly breathy, “yes I can.” You took a step back. “I’m sorry, I just wondered what it felt like.” You said, staring at her helplessly. She said nothing, just watching you. She had a tendency to do that, to pin you under her gaze. Her eyes traced your body, making you want to shiver under the intensity until she stopped, concentrating on something. She took a step closer to you, and you felt yourself take a sharp breath. Her eyes were focused on your shoulder, and she brought her hand to it slowly. Your throat went dry as her fingertips brushed over your scar, only just noticing it. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been attacked.” She said, and the weight in her voice practically pinned you to the spot. “No.” You said quietly, her hand still on your arm. She tilted her head as she traced it. “What happened?” She asked, and you wished she hadn’t. You wished she had asked you anything but that. You swollowed thickly, meeting her eyes. “I was here.” You paused, and she met your eyes, keeping her fingers on your scar. “I was here when my parents were attacked, Djin got me out quickly, but not before someone had a chance to hit me.” Lin’s fingers stopped, shock on her face. “I was the first one back in, too.” You shuddered. “They were in the dining room, they were dead, in the dining room.” You said, not knowing how to continue. Lin looked at you with sadness marring her features, a glimpse of honesty from the woman that caught you off guard. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” She said as she placed her hand more firmly on your shoulder. Your breath hitched and her eyes went wide as she did so. She glanced at your chest and you realized what she had noticed. She would have been able to sense the metal on your body. You nodded as you brought your arm in between the two of you, reaching down your shirt, and pulling out the knife tucked into your bustier. Lin’s eyes trailed it as you brought it up, between your breasts, to hold it in front of you. You placed it on the counter behind you. You could feel Lin tense at you holding a wepon so close to her, especially after watching what you had just done. Her eyes scanned your body, clearly assessing you out of instinct. “I always have them on me, and there are two more.” You said to her, and she nodded slowly. You took her hand, guiding it to your hip to feel the holster there. Her cheeks grew redder as you guided her hand along your body. She nodded as she felt the second knife, and you pulled it out, placing it on the counter with the other. Finally, you brought your leg up, bending your knee so your foot rested against the counter behind you, and you pulled the final knife from your ankle, laying it with the others. “That’s all of them,” you paused, and she seemed to nod as if she was trying to understand why there were knives with you. “Although you can check if you don’t trust me.” Her eyes snapped to yours again. “Why wouldn’t I trust you?” She asked, and you felt your heart falter at the words. Lin wasn’t a fool, you knew that, her brilliance was one of the things that attracted you to her, but her faith in you was sorely missplaced. You closed your eyes, allowing your head to fall back. “I’m tired, Miss Beifong.” You sighed as you brought your eyes back to her, she was close, so close to you. You could feel the heat off of her body. 

She tilted her head, questioning you. “Why do you call me that?” She asked, and you smiled. “Call you what?” You asked, reaching into the drawer next to you and taking out a bandage, the fact that you kept trauma supplies in every room of the house spoke to your family’s past, as well as what you had learned from it. You met her eyes and she continued. “Miss Beifong,” she said, causing you to raise a brow. She went on, “People call me Cheif, or Chief Beifong, never Miss Beifong.” You smiled as you began to wrap your arm, struggling slightly at the awkward angle and only using one hand. “You are a lady, aren’t you?” You asked, smirking a bit. She blushed, and you continued. “Your power is not a detriment to your femininity. At least not to me.” You said, looking up to meet her eyes. She seemed taken aback by your words. You went on, “Quite the opposite actually, you’re like, like a goddess of strength.” You stopped as you realized what you had just said, breaking away from her and walking across the kitchen to the other side of the counter. “Oh goodness, I’m sorry, it would seem I’ve been through it tonight, what on earth am I saying?” You rushed, quickly attempting to pull some semblance of self control back. You began to feel slightly dizzy as you continued to jarble up words. “Well, it’s not that I didn’t mean it, it’s just that I shouldn’t have said it, aparently I’m quite blunt this evening.” You felt the room begin to spin around you and you looked down at your injured arm, suddenly realizing how cold it felt. “Oh dear.” You said quietly, causing Lin to look up at you, still slightly in shock. “It would appear I have lost more blood than I originally thought.” Lin’s eyes widened more as she went to move toward you, but it was too late. You felt the world go black as your eyes rolled back into your head and your body hit the ground.


	6. Pretty and Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Waking up in your bed with the cheif of police in the corner is not something you ever wanted to happen in your life, and yet now that it has, you wish she was even closer.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I love feedback in any way, shape, or form, thank you so much for reading, I hope you like it! This has been one of my favorite chapters to write so far, we really get to see a different side of Y/N, and it was so fun to do!)

You were on something soft, a bed, but your eyes were closed. It felt like your bed, it smelled like your bed too. You felt soreness in your arm first, why was that again? Ah, yes, someone had sliced it open with a boulder, how kind. Then you had been taken home, by Lin, then the kitchen. Why on earth did you say those things to her? Then you had passed out. You realized this rather quickly and immediately sat straight up, opening your eyes. Standing in front of you was a rather angry looking Djin, with his arms folded across his broad chest, and a scowl on his face. “Miss Ran, welcome back to the world of the living, so nice of you to join us.” You immediately sprang up, standing fully on your bed, putting you a good bit taller than him. “First off, I can explain, well, I had errands to run.” He lifted a brow, unamused. “I’m sure.” You hopped off the bed, going straight for your dresser, opening it up and searching inside. “Secondly, I’m not dead, so you really shouldn’t be that angry.” You heard him groan in frustration. “If you could not injure yourself any more, that would be wonderful, Miss Ran.” You pulled out a pair of slacks to change into, black, as usual. “But please tell me I haven’t been out very long as there are things I need to attend to.” You pulled out a shirt to match and made a mad dash to your vanity, sitting down and trying to make sense of the mass that was your hair. “It’s about nine in the morning, Miss Ran.” You sighed, picking up your hair brush and whipping around to face him. “And for the love of Raava, please stop calling me ‘Miss Ran’ I am not my mother!” It was at this point you noticed a rather shocked, but seemingly amused cheif of police in the chair next to your bed, tucked into the corner. Her hand rested on her chin, her middle finger on her lower lip and her index finger extending to her temple, it was as if she was evaluating you, one ankle resting on her other knee. She glanced from your face, to the hairbrush you were currently threatening Djin with, back to your face, back to the brush. There seemed to be a smirk playing at her lips as well, and you could not decide what to think of that. “You stayed?” You asked her, tilting your head slightly. She nodded slightly, glancing between you and Djin, and then back to you. She seemed to be very interested in your stance currently. “Oh for the love of spirits what am I...” you glanced down at that exact moment to realize that although your usual tank top was in place, unfortunately, whoever had put you in bed had removed your pants, leaving you in only your underthings. “Djin, there better be a pretty good reason I’m half naked right now, because I most certainly did not get that drunk last night.” You looked at him only to find him shaking his head. “I had to make sure the only injury was the one on your arm.” You looked up at him. “Well thank you for that then, kind sir.” You said, your voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm. You went back to your dresser, picking out a corselet and stockings. Your mother had always told you that a proper lady wears her stockings, even if they were under men’s slacks. You smiled at the thought, going back to your vanity. You saw Lin’s eyes go wide at what you were holding, and you had to suppress a smirk. “I, I’m glad you’re alright, Miss Ran, and seemingly very active.” She stuttered out, eyes not leaving the garments in your hands. 

Djin glanced between the two of you, raising a brow at you before closing his eyes with a deep sigh. “Entirely too active.” He scowled at you. “Please tell me you are not actually considering making your appointments today.” You smiled at him. “Please tell me you don’t think I’m going to let men too big for their britches bully me out of doing what I love.” He all but rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to be able convince you otherwise, am I, miss?” He asked, and you shook your head, taking a look at the notebook you kept on your dresser. “Absolutely not, however, if you want to be angry at something, I believe my satomobile has been suitably destroyed, so you could always go terrify a salesman.” He barely suppressed a smile at that. People heard your name and tended to think that it would be easy to take your money, it was quite the contrary, actually. “And on that note, I will see to it.” He said, shaking his head as he went to the door. “Oh, and Miss Ran?” he asked, causing you to scowl. “Do try not to get yourself arrested.” You opened your mouth before quickly shutting it, as he shut the door behind him. You turned to face Lin, finally letting yourself still for a moment. You just watched her, she seemed amused by the exchange, but it was hard to tell. Her middle finger was resting on her bottom lip, the index framing her face. It drew your eyes from hers to her lips, before quickly looking back up. You watched her in the late morning sun, lounging in your bedroom. What an impression this woman had made on you, in such a short time too. The sunlight glowed, casting rays just in front of her feet. You had an idea. “Stay like that, please,” you said, quickly running to your bedside table on the opposite side of your bed. You took out a sketchbook and charcoals wrapped in a canvas cloth, quickly placing them on your vanity. You took a white lily from the vase on your vanity, walking up to her and placing it in her other hand, crossed over her chest. You could feel her stiffen when you came close to her, and there was a slight blush on her face when your fingers brushed hers. You blushed yourself reaising once again you were only in a tank top and your rediculusly short bloomers. You must have looked like a burlesque act standing in front of her. You walked over to your vanity, sitting back down and opening your sketchbook. You saw her stiffen as she realized what you were doing. “Just relax,” you said to her, your voice soft. “Let me see you, not who you think you have to be.” You said the last part so quietly she may not have heard you, but knowing her, you were sure she did. “Why did you stay?” You asked her, starting with a rough outline and the basic shapes of how she was sitting. You focused on your work as you asked her the question. Honestly, you were terrified of the answer. She could have been suspicious of you, or found out something about you. Or worse, she could be just as interested in you as you were in her. If that were the case, well, it spelled disaster for the both of you. You tried not to hold your breath as you waited for her answer, your hands scratching lines onto the paper. “I wanted to see if you were alright.” She started, and you felt yourself nod slightly as you glanced between her and the paper. “After you went down, I carried you upstairs, I was halfway to the door when Djin came running, he had heard me yell.” You stopped for a moment, looking up at her. She had genuine concern In her eyes, it shook you. “We brought you up here and he stitched you up. He said something about you not liking healers.” 

You nodded. “Not entirely, I don’t dislike them, I just don’t like hospitals.” You said, working on adding the shape and simple shading to her body. “Why?” She asked, and you stopped for a moment, looking up at her. “My aunt was a healer. She told me that more people go to hospitals to die than they do to live.” You shook your head head. “They took other family members of mine to a hospital, but they died after they got there.” You looked back to your sketch, “My uncle on my father’s side lasted three weeks before he died.” You started working on her legs, carefully drawing and blending. “I spent three of the worst weeks of my life in a hospital, I’d rather not spend any more time there.” You smiled at the last bit. It may have been silly of you, but it wa true. Lin spoke up. “I should stop asking you questions,” she paused and you looked at her curiously. “It always seems to hurt you when you answer them.” You shook your head, once again returning to your work. “No, telling you doesn’t bother me, not at all, actually.” You were suprised by yourself. You didn’t talk much about your family. Sure, you had had to make statements and give speaches over the years, but you never really spoke about them. There were always remarks when other gangs got cocky, or when members of your own were proud. You looked up to find her watching you, her Jade eyes cutting into you as always. “I’ll ask you another one then.” She stated, you tried to hide your nervousness with a joke, but you were sure she could feel your heartbeat flutter. “Am I under interrogation, Miss Beifong?” You asked, trying not to sound terrified by the subject. “No.” She said, and you continued to outline and shade. “Do you do this for all the girls you bring to your bedroom?” She joked, and you looked up. Meeting her eyes. You could tell she was kidding, but something seemed sad in her face, the set of her jaw was off, less sure then normal. “No.” You said, pausing to add a line to the lily in her hand. “Not at all.” You looked up again. “I don’t bring girls to my bedroom, firstly, I bring women. And not as often as you might think, Miss Beifong.” You bristled slightly. “More importantly than that, I don’t sketch for people I don’t respect, not like this.” You said, going back to your work. “I’ve painted models, sure. I work under another name, you may have even seen things I’ve painted before. I’ve even painted models in the nude, many times actually.” You concentrated on getting a stand of her hair just right. “So if you’re asking me I’ve ive made art of women, the answer is certainly.” You looked back up at her. “However no, I do not sketch like this for anyone.” You paused. “I couldn’t.” You looked down at your work before looking up at her, it was a rough sketch, more of an impression of her than a realistic piece. “I didn’t draw you like a model.” You ripped the page out of your book, standing up to give it to her. “I drew you like someone I care for.” You handed her the sketch, taking the lily back to join the others in the vase. You turned around to see her standing and staring at it. “I...” she started, looking up at you before looking down at it again. “I’ve never seen art like this.” She said. “It’s...” you waited, bracing your hands on the vanity behind you. “It’s beautiful.” She said. You smiled softly. “Well, the subject is rather striking, so I only had to capture them.” Her eyes flew to yours, her brows furrowed slightly. “You don’t believe me?” You asked, raising a brow. Your voice wasn’t acusitory, simply soft in your own disbelief. 

She chuckled, “I am many things, Miss Ran, but I don’t believe that is one of them.” She smiled at you, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. You felt your own narrow. “Whoever convinced you of that would not do very well with me, I can assure you.” Her head tilted slightly as her brows furrowed. “You can’t be serious, I am not shy, or modest in this regard, but I am not exactly pretty, Miss Ran.” You sighed deeply, feeling anger bubble up in your chest. “I did not say you were pretty.” You paused, trying to let it subdue. “Pretty is a girl who puts on a dress in her husband’s favorite color for his birthday. Pretty is a girl who always looks innocent, or sweet, even when there are tears dripping down her face. Pretty is the models I deal with, there is no substance In pretty, Miss Beifong.” You looked around your room, picking up another lily. “This flower is pretty, it’s white, and pure, and has no flaws whatsoever.” You placed it back in its vase once again. “You are not pretty, Miss Beifong. You are stunning.” You looked at her. “You are absolutely gorgeous, treacherously so. There is gravel in your voice from the commands you have spoken, and the orders you have had to make. There are callouses on your hands from years of saving lives and stopping criminals. I’m sure if you took that armor off i would see plenty of other scars from all you have done.” You sighed, feeling the rush of emotions inside of you. “There is pain in your eyes that I wish, spirits, I wish I could take away, just for a moment,” you shook your head. “But that pain comes with depth, and those scars come with stories, and those calluses come with strength, and that voice could bring anyone to their knees.” You looked at her earnestly. “You are beautiful in ways I cannot describe, I don’t have the words for it.” You saw the shock on her face, her lips slightly parted with wide eyes, staring at you. “Spirits above, if I could truly capture how beautiful you are, how incredible you are, well, I’d never want to paint again.” She swollowed, seemingly not knowing what to say. “Miss Ran...” she started, but the words would not come. You took a step towards her, “Please, just call me y/n.” The clock chimed on the wall, letting you know it was ten o’clock. You both jumped at the intrusion, seemingly snapped out of a trance. You started first. “I have a matinee gallery exhibit at eleven, they’re not particularly wonderful peices, but they’re favored among all the high society housewives. They’re nature and landscape peices by some stuck up man named Lee.” You looked at your pile of clothes on the vanity, walking overtime put them on. You picked up the corselet first, expertly hooking the eyelets around your waist before pulling your tank top out from under it. Lin’s eyes went wide as you did so, however you were careful not to reveal too much, your chest was covered, leaving your shoulders and cleavage exposed. You also couldn’t afford to show the markings on your mid and lower back. They were clear labels of what you were, even if you were soft with her in this moment, the dragon on your back marked you as a gang leader, a powerful one at that. A blush spread on her face as you picked up your stockings and sat down, quickly rolling one up your leg to your thigh, attaching it to the garter straps on your corselet. A blush spread across her cheeks and her mouth parted slightly. You smiled as you saw her all but gulp at you. You rolled the other up, attaching it the same way. You stood up, walking to your beside table, Djin had aparently been kind enough to clean and layout your knives for you, ever the precautious one, he was. You slipped one between your breasts, following by buckling your holster around your hip and slipping In Your favorite one. Finally, you took another smaller holster and strapped it to your ankle, slipping in the smallest knife you owned. 

You stood up again, smiling at the way Lin’s eyes followed you. “Would you like to cinch me? Or is this just a peep show?” You teased, causing her to blanch and duck her head. “I’m sorry, very sorry miss.” She started and you laughed. “I didn’t say I minded, Miss Beifong.” You cinched your waist yourself, then donned your trousers and shirt, tucking in the latter and fixing your hair in the mirror. “It’s not every day that I’m watched by a beautiful woman.” She blushed again. You decided you were going to find whoever told her otherwise, and kill them in a very gruesome manner. You fixed your hair and makeup as she continued to watch. “How do you do that?” She asked, and you raised a brow, “the makeup?” She nodded. “Well, my mother was wonderful at it, she could do this, or traditional, whatever she liked.” You smiled, “when I was very little I had her teach me how to do the traditional makeup of each culture she taught me about.” You laughed a bit more, “I even made her teach me the makeup of the Kiyoshi warriors when I was 7.” Lin chuckled, coming closer to you to watch. She was standing just over your shoulder as you worked. “Regardless, she taught me, but I’ve changed it since then. It changes a bit with the fashions, but most of it stays the same.” She pointed to your liner. “I remember my sister playing with that.” You smiled. “Kohl liner?” She nodded and you chuckled “I’m sure that was a mess.” She watched as you continued. “I could do you sometime if you wanted.” She blanched and you realized your mistake. “Your makeup, that is.” She swollowed right above your ear and nodded, you looking down at your mess as you quickly put everything away. “Well, it would seem I have a gallery to see to,” you stood up and turned to face her, putting you in excruciating proximity. “Will you be joining me, Miss Beifong?” She swallowed. “I believe I can, I don’t have a shift today, and Djin helped me call in after you went down last night to check up on everything at the station.” You smiled, “Wonderful.” You saw her eyes flicker away for a moment before she stepped back, giving you room. “Will your models be there?” She asked you, and you could sense the unease In her voice. You smiled, “Maybe a few, but I think you misunderstood me when I spoke about how exactly I painted them earlier.” She furrowed her brows. “Well, of course they’re pretty, and yes, I’ve seen all of quite a few of them, but like I said, I don’t bring pretty girls here, Miss Beifong.” She swollowed, her eyes flickering from yours to your lips. “No, I hate the pretty ones.” You smiled, brushing your hand across her scars, causing her to flinch slightly, “I only have interest in those that are truly beautiful.” Her eyes were unreadable yet breathtakingly intense as she stared at you. You turned, selecting a pair of heels by your bed and slipping them on. You turned to the door, looking back to wait for her, you realized in that moment, this woman was going to break you. You just needed to find a way to survive the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (P.S. I write this as if it’s a 1920s like era. So when I describe more vintage clothing, however we do see touches of modernism. For instance, Lin wears a tank top in the series, so those clearly exist. However, when I say “bloomers” I mean the itty bitty short lacy ones. I think of them as similar to boyshort underwear with lace ruffles, however, read it however you like! I’m sure plain boy shorts would have a similar effect!


	7. Paintings in the Snake Pit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Lin at your gallery causes quite a few unusal events, the question is, can you keep yourself together through all of them?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This was another really fun one to write! I just love playing with the power dynamic between Y/N and Lin, as well as Y/N and others. Let me know what you think! There is nothing more motivating than hearing feedback! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> -V

Taking Lin Beifong to an art gallery was a horrible idea, no, Taking the Cheif of Police, Lin Beifong to your art gallery was a horrible idea. Most likely one of the worst you had ever had, but there you were, strolling through the gallery’s doors with her hot on your heels. You quickly nodded to one of your employees before trying to head to your office as quickly as possible, you were a few minutes late, well, a few early for the official event to start, but a few late by your standards, and you wanted to have a few minutes before the chaos started. However, with a crowd already there, that was far from likely. You turned to see Lin behind you, mildly uncomfortable, but standing tall. You knew she had been required to make public statements before, but you doubted she was familiar with the intamacy level of this. Her liniage may have been high society, however you didn’t believe she grew up that way, she had much more of a working woman feeling to her, so how she would do in the metaphorical snake pit was yet to be seen. You have her a small nod and reassuring smile. “You can follow me,” you said, chuckling slightly. “Just stay close if you like.” You could feel yourself be pulled towards her, as if you wanted to be kind and easy with her. You wanted to just be a normal person with her, but you had to remind yourself that you couldn’t. You were on borrowed time with her, and the more you spent, the more likely it would collapse all around you. It was at this moment that someone came up behind you, placing a hand on your arm for attention. You gave Lin another reassuring smile as you turned to the person in question. Of cource, a model of yours. You believed her name was Inora, or something similar, and she was certainly very pretty. She had long black hair cascading down her back to match her slim and elegant features, she was every bit a fire nation beauty, and had a an ego to match if you remembered correctly. “Good afternoon, Miss.” you said politely. You were polite to everyone, your civility was free, your respect on the other hand, had to be earned. “Hello Y/N.” She said, rather boldly, beginning to move herself towards you, pressing her hip against yours and wrapping her arm around yours as well. You instantly identified the game she was playing, subtlety was clearly something she had yet to learn. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen you, Y/N!” She remarked. “I wondered if you had gotten bored with me?” Came the pout at the end. It was clear she wanted something, however what that was had yet to be determined. “Miss Inora, yes?” She nodded after being taken aback at you not immediately knowing her. “It has been quite a while hasn’t it. It’s lovely to see you again.” You smiled, gently pulling yourself away from her, you could feel Lin behind you and turned back to her, only for Inora to slide herself against you once again, completely ignoring the cheif of police. Very bold, indeed. You kept you face neutral as you looked at her, practically climbing you at this point. “Is there something I can help you with? Or are you here to browse? Lee’s work is very popular with young women, particularly his floral peices if you’d like to see some.” You said, you were annoyed, however your smile never left your face as you spoke to her. “Well, actually, there’s something else I came to talk to you about, Y/N.” She smiled, bringing her hand to your shoulder. Oh, that was the game then. You normally preferred people to call you by your first name, however the level of intamacy this girl was treating you with was far too high. You smiled again. “Well, I’m speaking with Cheif Beifong currently, I’m showing her a few peices, however perhaps another time.” You said definitively, however the girl took her hand to your hair and you did your best not to jerk away from her. “I’m sure what I’m offering is far more interesting, Y/N.” 

You could see Lin’s frustration grow to full on anger as the girl toyed with you. So controlling her reactions was not her strong suit, something to be noted. However, on another level, it nearly made you want to giggle as you realized Lin was jealous. The cheif of police’s eyes followed the girl’s hands, winding around you and playing with a loose strand of your hair, a scowl beginning to set on her face. But more than that, she looked hurt. Her face showed anger, but her eyes showed pain, something that bothered you deeply. Someone really had hurt this woman if this was enough to have her hurting. Inora leaned impossibly closer to you, practically pressing her cheek to yours. “Tell me, Y/N, what do I have to do to get back in your studio.” You kept your smile, trying not to grimace as the sleep of Opium wafted over you, but your smile didn’t meet your eyes as you looked at Lin, refusing to look at the girl on you. “I will keep you in mind if I need a model for another project, Miss Inora.” You said, your voice flatlining. She pouted as you watched Lin’s hands ball into fists. You would tolerate this, you had to be tolerant, you never let the facade crack. Inora giggled, her breath tickling your neck uncomfortably. “I always wondered if the rumors about you were true Y/N, because I’d do anything you wanted you know, anything at all.” That was a line. You felt yourself become impossibly still as the girl hung on you. “Excuse me?” You said. If there was one thing you had learned from being born into the Mafia, it was that phrases had other meanings. In this case, you were doing the polite thing and giving the girl one more chance to back off. “All those rumors about you and other girls, even look at you now, all dressed up in your pants. Have you ever wanted to strip down yourself after you see your models do it, Y/N?” You snapped up completely straight and took a firm step away from her, completely brushing her off your body. The girl nearly toppled over as she looked at you cluelessly. You spoke with a cold, firm voice as you addressed her. “I suggest you leave now, Miss Inora, before you make a bigger fool of yourself. You’ve had your fun haven’t you?” You were thankful that the gallery wasn’t completely full yet, she was mostly alone with you and Lin in a side room. The girl looked shocked before anger turned her face red. “Are you serious?” She hissed. “I said I would do whatever you wanted, look at me, I’m one of the best models you’ve ever painted, don’t act like you aren’t interested.” You stayed emotionless, taking a step to stand by Lin’s side. “I don’t know who you’ve been speaking to, Miss Inora, however I have no such interest in people doing ‘whatever I want.’ As for your modeling talents, I have a muse myself, however if I needed other models, I’m sure there are plenty who would suit just fine.” She gaped as her face turned redder, she looked like she was going to scream. “Well, I didn’t need your money anyway!” She spat, bringing her face inches from yours, you felt Lin instinctively move next to you, but you placed your hand on her arm, stopping her. Inora continued “you couldn’t have me even if you wanted.” She finished. You finally smiled. “Miss Inora, I really do suggest you go, especially considering smoking Opium is against the law, and you absolutely reek of it.” You quipped. Lin looked at you suprised, and Inora lifted her arm, rage searing across her face, in a split second she moved to slap you, you felt Lin begin to move, however you had already reached up and caught Inora’s hand. She looked at you in shock and a twinge of fear. “I don’t think an assault charge would help with the Opium question, dear. I do hope you get yourself cleaned up.” She pulled away and stormed out of the gallery, you heard the door shut behind her from the entrance room. 

You sighed and shook your head. “Oh, I hate the pretty ones.” You shook out your arms and rolled your shoulders back as you looked to Lin. “You...” she hesitated, staring at you once again. “You meant it.” She said, and you tilted your head. “I meant what?” You asked, and Lin’s brows furrowed as she looked at you. “She was all over you, but you really didn’t have any interest.” She said incredulously. “You didn’t even react to her.” You smiled as you shook your head again. “Not at all.” You could feel your smile turn sad as you looked at her. “You really don’t have any pride in yourself do you?” You asked tilting your head slightly. Lin straightened herself, “In what I do, sure. I’m very proud of my work on the force.” You shook your head again, “You know that’s not what I meant.” You sighed, this woman was turning you soft in a matter of moments. “I have to get a few things from my office, you can come if you like, then I have to go to the main hall. It’s practically Lee’s thirtieth show here, so it’s nothing new, I just have to be there and speak to people.” You said, and Lin nodded, following you to drop your coat off in your office, as well as to grab your book for this particular show. Each book contained every piece, the title, facts, and medium. However Lee worked in watercolor exclusively. As well as the subject, location in the gallery setup and price. Lee was well known, so his peices would go for quite a few yuans, hopefully it would be an easy show. You looked to Lin. “They’re snotty, nasty people who trade in gossip and have nothing better to do than judge and trick other people.” She looked at you with a con earned expression. “What sort of criminals do you have in this place?” She asked, quirking a brow. You smiled at the joke, “High society housewives.” You deadpanned. You felt your heart practicaly flutter in your chest as she laughed. Low and strong, it suited her perfectly. You decided that you wanted to hear that laugh more often. “Brace yourself Miss Beifong, welcome to the snake pit.” You said before checking yourself in the mirror in your office and fixing a smile on your face before walking out the door of your office and to the main hall of the gallery. It was a bit over your expected crowd, likely due to the publicity about the orphanage being destroyed. You walked into the room with the book under your arm and Lin behind you, you liked having her there, even if the more time you spent with her the more danger you were in, it was comforting to have her with you. It was a woman named Irayi who aproached you first, with two others by her side. “Miss Ran, what a delight to see you, some of us were worried you wouldn’t make it today with all that’s been going on with your orphanage.” She stated. Her slow and demeaning tone made it clear that she wasn’t playing nice today. Mrs Irayi was an absolutely dispicable gossip. You had more respect for the criminals you worked with than women like her. She derived pleasure from putting others down. “Mrs Irayi, what a pleasure to see you as well, what have you though of Lee’s latest peices?” You smiled, keeping your voice light and kind. The woman nodded, glancing to Lin before speaking “I did enjoy his new still life, especially his work focusing on individual flowers, he is quite talented at capturing them, isn’t he?” She smirked. You smiled and nodded politely, it was clear she had no idea what she was talking about, Lee painted mostly wildflowers in this collection, focusing on how he could capture the movement of the wind, or water in some places, while single flowers came into focus, it was a study on movement rather than the still image of a single flower. “Certainly, have any caught your eye?” You asked kindly, these women, for the most part, did not like to be told they were wrong, they were here to gossip and spend money, that was it. You loved art shows, however these ones were always tedious. “I liked the one he titled ‘Lillies by the Lakeside’” could you mark that one down for me?” She asked. “Of cource, Mrs Irayi, happily.” 

She smirked at the two women behind her, clearly wanting to make a show of this “Would you remind me of the price of that one, Miss Ran?” She wanted to show off, already looking very pleased with herself. “‘Lillies by the Lakeside’ is one of Lee’s most popular peices in this collection, it is marked at 17,000 yuans.” You could hear Lin gasp slightly behind you, shocked at the price. This only put a wider grin on the woman in front of you. “That sounds perfect, practically a bargain for such a beautiful peice, don’t you think, Miss Ran?” She said, it was certainly not a question, even if it was phrased like one. “Absolutely.” You said, making a note in your book that she had bought it. It would stay up for a while, and inevitably she would send someone to collect it, bringing you the money as well. These women spent thousands upon thousands of yuans on art every year, providing quite the income for your larger businesses, as well as a cover. You even used the gallery to launder money occasionally, however you really had it because you loved the art. The prices didn’t matter to you, it was the art that you loved, and while there would always be housewives snatching at tired landscapes, there were also incredble works that came through your doors, and plenty of aspiring young artists as well. You noticed Mrs Irayi eyeing Lin, and quickly closed your book and took a step to her side, causing the woman to stare at you, but not say anything. She nodded politely to the women, seemingly used to this level of the public eye. Irayi laughed lightly, looking at you. “It seems you’ve upped security, Miss Ran, how ever did you get the Cheif of Police to serve as your own personal guard dog?” She smiled at you. And there was the snake. She wanted to get a rise out of Lin, or perhaps you, you couldn’t quite tell yet. You felt Lin stiffen beside you, exhaling firmly. You looked at Irayi. “Well I certainly don’t have the Cheif under my influence, Mrs. Irayi, and while I have tightened security, the Cheif is off duty today. She’s actually here as I wanted to give her something in thanks.” Irayi’s eyes widened slightly. “Is that so? What ever would you give her, one of Lee’s lesser peices, I’m sure.” She said, glancing from Lin to you. You smiled gracefully, keeping your emotions in check. She wanted to insult Lin, to prove she was better than her, and while Lin seemed annoyed by it, Irayi had unknowingly just angered you in ways she could not possibly have guessed. “Oh not at all, the Cheif was so kind to help with the orphanage, she’s even taking in the case herself, so of cource I would give her a gift worthy of her.” You smiled, this time a real smile on your face. You watched as Irayi tried to establish dominance over the Cheif, only to find you standing in her way. “Well what then? Something from this collection?” You smiled “No, I didn’t giver her one of Lee’s peices.” The woman look at you quizzically as Lin turned to you as well, this was going to be interesting. “I gave her an original by The Orchid.” You smiled as Irayi’s jaw hit the floor and Lin turned to you wide-eyed. Irayi looked absolutely appalled. “You gave her an original Orchid? Are you serious? That has to be well over 300,000 yuans!” You smiled, “Well I wanted to find her something I felt was worthy of my gratitude towards her.” Lin was still staring at you in shock. “You mean...” she trailed off as you glanced at her, a sparkle in your eye. Irayi continued “What was it? The Orchid is one of the most reclusive artists known! What did he paint for her?” You smiled again. “Well, actually, it was a charcoal piece, a study on beauty if you will.” You saw Lin blush out of the corner of your eye as Irayi continued to stare in shock. “An original Orchid charcoal, one of his personal works, that, that’s rediculus.” She muttered. You smiled again. “Yes well, it was one of his bests if I do say so myself.” Irayi shook her head finally turning to the Cheif. “Are you even interested in art? Do you have any idea how much that is worth?” She asked, her face twisting with jealousy. 

You quickly stepped in between them “Unfortunately I do have to steal the Cheif away for a moment,” you said, Turing to Lin before glancing back at Irayi, “it was a pleasure speaking with you.” You smiled, before walking down the gallery. You smirked as you left the woman in shock, Lin instantly at your side as soon as you were out of earshot. “Are you serious?” She asked you, and you turned to face her. “About what?” You questioned tilting your head. “You’re Orchid?” She asked you, and you were suprised she knew in a way. “I am,” you nodded. “I didn’t know you liked art.” She shook her head “I don’t follow it, but there is not a person in the city who doesn’t know that name, your paintings are worth fortunes, you really just made something for me, just like that, I..” she faded off again, and you smiled at her. “I told you I wanted to, why wouldn’t I?” You said, smiling at her once again. She simply shook her head as she stared at you. “My sister loves your work, she’s paid hundreds of thousands for it, and you just gave it to me, spirits, you even made it for me.” She said, and once again your smile turned sad. “I would make art for you every day if I could.” You said before turning back to the gallery, only to find Lee coming straight for you. You steeled yourself, Lee was cocky at best, however he had a habit of making advances on you, entirely unwanted ones, and getting a bit handsy, you just hoped it wouldn’t get too out of line. Unfortunately as he pulled you into an embrace you could smell the liquor on his breath, which was never a good thing. You heard Lin’s startled “oh” as he grabbed you, and knew she would see you stiffen as he grabbed your ass through your trousers. You tried not to react as he felt you up, simply waiting for him to let go. The man was mostly harmless, even if he was a jerk, the ladies loved him, so it was best to let him be. Pissing him off would not bode well for the gallery. You set a smile in place as he pulled away, leering at you as he slowly drug his eyes over your body. “Y/N!” He said excitedly, “another wonderful show, don’t you think?” He smirked, clearly boasting. “Lee, yes, ther has been a great turnout.” You smiled. You took a step back towards Lin, however he followed closely into your personal space. He looked at her before bringing his gaze back to you. “Have you given any thought about my proposal? You do have quite the provocative body, I’d just love to paint you.” He said, his hand coming to your waist. You chuckled quickly, “Well, I’m not much of a model Lee, but thank you.” You smiled, trying not to pull away. He smiled goofily, “Oh, but with a body like yours, I just wanna see all of it.” He said. The man’s ability to get drunk at matinee galleries never ceased to amaze you. Quite frankly, the fact that he could do anything did. You felt Lin take a step towards you, clearly sensing your discomfort. Lee continued, “I don’t even have to paint you.” He pulled you closer, keeping one hand on your waist while the other went to your thigh, “I can just strip you down.” His hand moved higher and you get yourself struggling to keep your face neutral as you tried to subtly pull away. “What do you look like under all these clothes anyway, cause I can assure you baby, I don’t disappoint.” He smirked, his hands roaming over your body like sticky tentacles trapping you in his grasp. Lin cleared her throat behind you, snapping him out of his thoughts “I’m sorry Mr. Lee, however I need to speak with Miss Ran about something, I’m sure she can talk with you another time.” The man scowled at her as he let go, “Next time then, Princess.” He said, walking off. You immediately headed straight towards your office. He was getting bolder every show, and you certainly didn’t like it. 

Lin was right behind you, there was something about her protecting you from him, from something more normal, that lit a fire in you, you had yet to decide if you loved how it burned. Lin saving you sent a rush straight through you, driving you exquisitely mad. You went to your office, far from the main gallery and well out of earshot from anyone. You opened the door, allowing her inside. Once she crossed the threshold, you shut and locked the door behind her, quickly backing her up into the door and kissing her desperately. Your hands clutched at her as you gave her everything you had, you felt her stiffen before relaxing into you. Her strong arms held you to her, the cool metal of her armor pressing into your back. You broke away only when you ran out of air, gasping as you laid your head on her shoulder. “Thank you.” You said, shaking slightly. “That was unexpected.” Lin gasped as she brought a hand to play with your hair. You chuckled darkly. “I’m not exactly a damsel in distress but if you keep playing knight for me like that I don’t know what I’m going to do.” You breathed, trying to calm yourself. You had no idea where that came from, well you did, but it was better to forget about it. You felt her sigh deeply, letting your body press against hers. “Why do you let him do that?” She asked, and you shook your head. “It’s easier to let him behave like an ass then it is to cause trouble because of it.” You said. She huffed “So I take it you don’t enjoy being felt up in the middle of your gallery very much?” She questioned. You chuckled again as you felt yourself crave her. You wanted all of her, you wanted to have her for your own and to freely give yourself to her in every way, and yet you couldn’t. But that didn’t stop you from surging forward to kiss her again, taking her hands and laying them on your body, sighing into her as her hands roved over you gently. You brought your own hand to her hair, pulling her into you, causing her to groan slightly before you separated once again. “I don’t like HIM feeling me up in my gallery. I like YOU feeling me up in my office far too much.” You laughed ruefully. She looked at you confused as you pulled away completetly. “Far, far too much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S.
> 
> Go check out my tumblr for some head cannons about Y/N Ran, and as usual, I’ll answer any questions on here as well.


	8. Table Manners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (You had headed out on your own to eat after a long day, only to find yourself in familiar as well as new company.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter was a bit different from normal, so I would especially appreciate any feedback you have! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> \- V
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING - Unable to have/not wanting children. Hinted Emotional abuse/blame

You sighed as you sat in your office. It had been a very long, very exhausting day. You had helped more with the orphanage, solved two crisises regarding your business, and ran another gallery show. Further more, you had no idea what you were doing with the Cheif of Police. You knew that whatever it was, whatever you were doing with Lin, it would not end well. You glanced over a few reports one final time before getting up and heading up to your room. You walked up the grand staircase, your footsteps echoing off the walls. You went to your room and sat at your vanity, staring at yourself In the mirror. It had been two days since the art gallery, and the only thing you could think about was the one woman you shouldn’t, Lin Beifong. You let down your hair and sighed, not knowing what to do, there was a knock at your bedroom door. “Miss Ran?” Djin called, and you yelled for him to come in. He raised his brows slightly when he saw you. “Miss Ran, are you alright?” He asked, the concern in his voice touching. You smiled softly at him. “I’m alright Djin, or I will be.” He nodded. “Y/N, I’m worried about the Cheif.” He said. You chuckled, “Oh, I figured this talk was coming.” You said and he grimaced. “I understand you must be polite to her, but you have to be careful. The further away you stay from the law, the safer you are.” He warned, and you nodded. “I’m aware of that Djin.” You started. “And yet, here we are.” You sighed. You shook your head again. “I need a drink.” You said to him. Causing him to roll his eyes. “Nothing good ever starts with you saying that, Miss Ran.” You smiled. “Ah, well. I need one regardless.” You looked to the mirror and fixed your lips before slipping on a pair of heels. You weren’t bothering to put a dress on, but you would still wear your heels. You decided to leave your hair down as you smoothed out your shirt and pants. “How do I look, Djin?” You smiled at him, causing him to roll his eyes. “Like a proper lady in men’s slacks, Miss Ran.” He said, making you laugh. “You always did know how to cheer me up.” You said, before heading out the door to your room. He followed you downstairs. “Do you plan on coming back tonight?” He asked, only half joking. You smiled. “Unless someone else tries to kill me.” You laughed, causing him to groan. “Do try to avoid that, would you.” He said, leaving you to grab your coat and head out the door. You did so, getting into the new Satomobile he had bought just yesterday and heading downtown. You didn’t know where you were going until you ended up outside the police station. “Oh for Raava’s sake.” You cursed at yourself. You looked around, finding a decent enough looking restaurant. “Well, I might as well get something to eat first.” You mumbled to yourself, parking and heading into the place. It reminded you of a diner your father took you to when you were little, but that place had closed years ago. It probably didn’t do well without your fathers donations every year. You knew that what you did was wrong, in many ways. You charged businesses for protection in your territory, granted, at a much lower price than anyone else in the area did. You ran Opium rings, you smiled as you realized that it was likely that the poor model at the gallery had bought from one of your sellers. You wouldn’t touch the stuff, but it was highly lucrative. Well, people under you did those things, but you enabled it, and you did it for a reason too. There would always be crime in Republic City. However, as long as people were making money off it, as long as you were, you could fund projects like the orphanage, and donate to all sorts of various charities. You did bad things, certainly, but you often did them for a good reason. No one in your territory starved, and no one would rather not be protected from the other gangs and mobs in the city. You had inherited the Ran empire, and you would not let it burn down. 

You sighed as you walked into the diner, the doorbell ringing as you went in, a young waitress came up to you. “Hello Miss! Are you waiting for anyone?” She asked, and you shook your head. “Just me today, thank you.” You smiled and she led you to a booth. You asked her for a drink and she went to get it for you. You looked over the menu, bearly paying attention. The girl brought you your drink and smiled. “Do you have any questions?” She asked politely. You shook your head, “Could I just have a few more moments please, I’m still deciding.” You asked her. “Of course!” She said, walking away. The place was fairly empty, it was pretty late after all. You heard the door ring again and glanced up to see a tall man with a blue arrow tattoos on his forehead, Councilmen Tenzin, you assumed, with a few people. You went back to studying your menu as a few more entered the restaurant with him. You could hear him talking as you buried your head in your menu, you had met him before, a few times at various functions, however you didn’t feel like talking with anyone at the moment. His group passed by you, sitting in a booth a few behind where you were. You could hear the girl begin to talk to them, “Councilman Tenzin, it’s an honor to have you! And Cheif Beifong, you as well! You all make quite the impressive group!” You felt your head snap up as the girl said “Cheif.” naturally, Lin was here. The one person you should not interact with, for any reason, was here. She probably hated you now anyway. You had kissed her in your office and then just left. It was, undoubtedly, extremely rude to say the least. If you were lucky she would just loose interest in you, however, if you were honest with yourself, that was the last thing you wanted. You continued to look at you menu as the girl continued speaking. “I’ll go get the chef! I’m sure he’d love to thank you for coming!” She said, her cheer was starting to wear on you. You could really only handle so much bubbliness. You sighed as you continued to glance over the menu, your eye landing on something familiar. Steamed soup dumplings. You used to love them when you were younger. You looked over the little information about them. They were handmade with pork, ginger, and a few other ingredients as well as a “secret spice mix” you couldn’t help but feel like that sounded familiar. You tried to think back to the ones you had loved as a child, they were made by this man named Bao at a place your father took you to, you knew that much. You could remember him being funny, you always begged your father to take you to Bao’s. You didn’t remember the actual name of the restaurant, but you knew he left it and it closed. You smiled at the menu, maybe these ones would be similar. You heard the waitress come back to the group behind you and introduce the Chef. He said a few nice things, speaking to each person. Aparently there was a General Bumi as well as a woman named Kya with them. He continued. “It really is an honor to have you all, thank you so much for coming...” he seems to trail off, but you weren’t paying too much attention. You were watching the Satomobiles and people go by outside the window, people watching had been another thing you liked when you were younger, aparently you were feeling nostalgic. You used to play the deduction game with your mother, the two of you had gotten quite good at it. You heard the chef excuse himself as you watched a woman walk by, arguing with a man next to her. 

You only snapped back to reality when someone came up next to you. “Excuse me, I hate to bother you, however you look exactly like this little girl I used to know, your last name wouldn’t be Ran, by any chance would it?” You looked up to see a man standing next to you, wearing a chef’s coat with his sleeves stained with flour. You recognized his kind eyes and round cheeks. He almost seemed to come from a distant memory of yours. “I...” you hesitated, looking at him. “Bao?” You asked him, and he broke out into a large familiar smile. “I knew it was you Miss Y/N!” He boomed and you smiled, standing up to greet him properly. You laughed as the jovial man pulled you into a hug, “I haven’t seen you since you were little!” He laughed, and you smiled with him. “You celebrated your tenth birthday in my old shop, do you remember that?” He asked, his smile completely infectious. You nodded, “Yes, of course! You made my favorite food in the world! I can’t believe you still work in the city!” You went on, the man hugging you again and practically spinning you around. He pulled away and looked at you more solemnly, however his eyes stayed warm and kind as always. “After I read about your parents, I thought I wouldn’t ever see you again. Your father had promised to bring you around to this place after it opened, but I don’t believe he ever had the chance.” He said, and you smiled sadly. “No, I don’t believe so.” You said. The older man smiled anyway. “Well look at you now! You’ve grown into quite the young lady. I always knew you’d turn out to be stunning, just like that mother of yours.” He said good naturedly, and you laughed again. “Whatever you want tonight, it’s on the house, love. You hear me!” He said, turning to head towards the kitchen. “Don’t be rediculus Bao! Of course I’m going to pay you!” The man laughed “Then again, I’m assuming you want dumplings anyway, they’ll be right out!” He called, completely ignoring you. You burst out into laughter as he ducked into the kitchen, he was just like you remembered him. Warm and full of life, and so kind. You sighed as you shook your head. “Nutty old man.” You mumbled with a smile on your face, making to sit down again, however your name stopped you. “Y/N?” A voice said in front of you, a voice that was all too familiar. You turned to find Lin standing behind you, confusion on her face. “Hello.” You nodded to her, your hands reaching for her on instinct before you controlled yourself. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” You said, looking down at the floor. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you, I’ll just eat and be on my way.” You tried to smile, knowing you were failing miserably. Lin looked at you, almost hurt. “You don’t have to do that, you know.” She said, and you looked back at her. “Do what?” You asked, and she swallowed, looking at you hopefully. “Eat alone. Come eat with us, I’m sure you’ve met Tenzin before, and the others aren’t too offensive.” She tried to joke. You smiled, “Miss Beifong, are you asking me to eat dinner with you and your friends?” You asked, already knowing you were too far gone to say no. She blushed slightly, but cleared her throat and nodded. “Of course, of you don’t want to then I’ll certainly leave you alone.” She said, standing up straighter. You smiled at her. “I would be happy to.” You said to her, and couldn’t help but laugh a bit when a smile broke across her face before she returned to her usual stony exterior. She led you to the booth and gestured for you to sit, before climbing in beside you. The proximity made you begin to blush before you cleared your throat and nodded your thanks to her. “Everyone.” She said, “This is Y/N Ran, she’s the proprietor of the orphanage that was recently attacked, as well as the owner of an art gallery in the city.” You smiled and nodded to everyone. “Councilman Tenzin,” you started, “I believe we’ve met, however it’s lovely to meet everyone else.” You said, nodding to Kya and Bumi. 

Bumi spoke first. “Ran, like the old family Ran?” He asked, looking you up and down, or at least the parts of you he could see above the table. You nodded. “Yes, my family is rather well established.” You said, smiling politely. He continued. “Huh, I thought a bunch of them were killed a while ago, must be a different branch of the family tree.” He said, and you felt Lin stiffen as Tenzin looked at the General appalled. You smiled slightly, unfortunately rather used to this. “Actually, you would be referring to my parents.” You said, causing the man’s eyes to widen. “They were killed when I was seventeen, I’m the only one left carrying the Ran name, sir.” You said, as lightly as possible. You saw the man all but go pale. “Uh, I am very sorry about that. I had no idea.” He said awkwardly. You smiled slighly, trying to look encouraging. “It’s alright, you’re not the only one to make that mistake.” You said, trying to play it off as a joke. It was Tenzin who spoke next. “Forgive my brother, he doesn’t always know what he’s talking about.” He said, glaring at Bumi. You couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s quite alright.” You said. Smiling as you felt Lin relax slightly beside you. Kya introduced herself next and you fell into easy conversation with the group, laughing with them until the food arrived. You thanked Bao again, smiling as he delivered the food himself. He was really a big sweetheart. You ate with them, discussing this and that for awhile, answering a few questions about the orphanage, or the gallery. “Well you all grew up together, so I imagine you all are much like siblings.” You said after saying that no, you did not have any siblings. You saw a few awkward smiles and immediately regretted saying it. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were fairly close as children.” You said, looking at your plate. “We were,” Kya said. “Some of us a bit too close.” She continued glancing pointedly at Tenzin, who immediately looked sheepish. You tilted your head in question. “What do you mean?” You asked, your curiosity getting the better of you. You felt Lin stiffen beside you and you looked to her. “Tenzin and I were together for a period of time.” You were sure your brows shot through the roof. “Oh,” you said. “I had no idea.” You glanced at your drink, deciding to simply take a sip in place of continuing to speak. Bumi spoke next. “Yeah, Tenzin really messed that one up, but we’re all friends now.” He laughed, and you looked at him questioningly as Tenzin glared at his brother and Lin chuckled slightly. “I didn’t mess anything up.” Tenzin said, “we simply didn’t work well together.” He said, and you could feel Lin grow very uncomfortable. You tried not to say anything. Kya spoke up. “Well, you were kind of an ass.” She said, and you tried not to laugh. He looked even more angry. “Well it’s not my fault she couldn’t give me what I wanted, honestly, it was her being selfish that ended it.” He said. You felt yourself lean forward slisghtly as anger started to work it’s way into your body. Lin looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there, shock marred her face and she had sunk back into the booth. “Excuse me?” You said, not liking her reaction at all. Tenzin scoffed and Kya and Bumi went wide eyed. “Tenzin, don’t.” Kya started but he spoke any way. “She can’t have kids.” He said, causing your eyes to go wide with shock. “I was the only air bender my father had, I needed to have kids, it’s not my fault she can’t, or won’t, it doesn’t matter.” He finished. Lin flinched and you immediately felt yourself place your hand on her knee under the table, feeling the need to comfort her in some way. Lin looked towards you but didn’t say anything. You felt anger boil through you, you leaned towards him slightly. “I’m sorry, I must have missheard you, you honestly can’t have just said that.” You said, tilting your head slightly. Tenzin looked at you with a high and mighty face, as his siblings stared at you in shock. “It’s true.” He said. “I’m just telling the truth.” 

You looked at him with wide eyes. Not actually believing that someone would talk about anyone that way. “Are you actually calling a woman not wanting to have children selfish?” You asked him cooly. He looked at you confused as you saw Bumi raise a brow and Kya smirk slightly. You looked back at Tenzin. “What a woman, or anyone, frankly, chooses to do or not do with their own body is entirely their choice, councilman.” You said, he looked confused. “But I deserve the right to have children, I had to.” He said incredulously. You smiled. “When you figure out how to do that, would you please let me know, I’m sure it would be a facinating story.” You said, and Bumi burst out laughing while Kya snickered. You looked at Lin, who was staring at you in suprise. “You know what I mean.” Tenzin said. “A woman has to give her husband children, that is one of their most important duties.” He said, and you barely restrained yourself from slapping him. “A woman is not valued by her ability or want to have children, sir.” You said, your voice once again cold. “But it’s not my fault if Lin wouldn’t give them to me! In that case I hardly think any man would want her.” He said. You stood up abruptly. “Councilman. I’m going to ask you to repeat that. Or at the very least reconsider your words before you say them.” You said, your voice incredibly low. Bumi looked at you in awe, and you heard Kya whisper “I knew it.” You chose to ignore that comment. “I said, she’s not going to find any man who will want to marry her if she won’t give him children.” Tenzin said. Lin shrank even more in her seat, causing your blood to boil. You looked at the man with barely checked rage. “I can understand that you come from a traditional background.” You started. “I can even understand why you would think it valuable for a woman to want to have children. However I can assure you, Councilman, that a woman being able to have or not wanting to have children in no way decides her value, not to you, not to me, not to her husband, not to anyone.” You said. “Furthermore, the fact that you believe it is right to treat people that way makes me question if you have any sort of moral judgment at all, much less the kind that would put you on a seat in the council.” You glared at him. “If you really think that that is what decides a woman’s, or anyone’s worth for that matter, then you should not be in any position of power at all.” You went on. “Your sister is an incredibly accomplished healer and has traveled the world learning about many cultures and people. Cheif Beifong is arguably the best Cheif of Police to ever run a city, not to mention her proficiency in metal bending is enough to prove she is much stronger than any man I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I run multiple businesses and support charaties all throughout this city. I will never marry a man, I will never have children, does this decide my worth, councilman? Because if you really think it does then I think you will find quite a difficult time in the next election when people stop endorsing you for your narrow minded views.” You said, leaving the man in absolute shock. You motioned for the waitress, and slid past Lin to leave the booth. “Can I help you?” Asked the cheery woman. “Yes, thank you.” You said. “I’ll cover the bill for myself as well as these people, thank you.” You said. The girl smiled “Bao said it was on the house.” She practically cheered at you. “I know,” you said. “However I’m paying anyway, and I’d like to come back in the future. I’ll leave my number with you, please tell Bao to ring me up if he needs anything at all.” The girl went wide-eyed. “Oh, ok.” She ran off to get the bill, you handed her the money and you left your number. You turned back to the table. “I have to go, as I believe if I stay much longer I’ll make a fool of myself.” You said, smiling to them. “It was lovely to meet you Miss Kya, General Bumi.” You nodded to each of them. They nodded at you and smiled, Tenzin still looked mad. “Goodnight Cheif Beifong, and thank you.” You said. “I hope I’ll see you soon.”


	9. From Cuts to Canvas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (A visit after your near explosion at the diner leads to a conversation about worth and beauty. An old painting to show it, and the possible creation of a new one as proof.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was very fun to write! I hope you like where it’s going. Haha
> 
> \- V
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING - Knife Throwing, Emotional Abuse, Being unable/not wanting to have children.

You stormed into your house, slamming the doors behind you. You had left it this evening feeling slightly sad, now you were very, very, pissed off. So it was Tenzin that had convinced Lin that she was worthless. You could gut that man like a fish if you wanted to. He was nothing but a stuck-in-the-past ass as far as you were concerned. You practically stomped down the main hall, flinging open the door to the underground floor. You shouldn’t have left her, you thought, as you descended the stairs into what could basically be called a small armory. You should not have left her with him. But it seemed that at least Kya and Bumi were on her side, at least with that particular argument. It was good that you had gotten out of there, however, as punching a councilman in the face was most likely not what Djin meant when he said “under the nose of the law.” You unlocked a door to the weapons room, selecting a collection of knives before leaving it and heading back to the main basement area. It was really more like a training center, you thought, as you dragged a dummy to stand in front of a steel wall. The large, main room was a sort of range. You were taught to throw knives, shoot a crossbow, even use a whip in this room, however now it served more as a stress reliever. You heard the door open behind you as you set the knives on a table at the opposite end of the room from your dummy. “What happened?” Djin asked you as you angrily organized the knives into a straight line, and checked the distance of the back wall to yourself. You may be angry, but you still knew how to handle weapons. “I went to a diner.” You said, your voice tight and gritty with anger. Djin looked at you like you had lost your mind. “You like diners?” He said, and you whipped around to him. “I went to a diner and heard councilman Tenzin say that a woman’s worth is in her ability and want to have children.” You said before turning back around and stalking to another room, this one with some of your personal belongings in it. You grabbed something to tie your hair back before coming back out to the main room. Djin shook his head, “he’s wrong, but I don’t believe you would normally be this upset by something like that, Miss Ran.” He said, watching your movements. “That’s because he didn’t say it to me.” You started, feeling your body become hot with anger once again. “He said it to a woman who now believes that, at least partially, who unfortunately, I happen to care about!” You yelled, turning back to face your knives. Djin sighed. “I’m going to let you work through this one on your own, Miss Ran, I’ll be here if you need anything.” He reminded you. “Thank you, Djin!” You said, the anger still not leaving your voice. You threw off your outer shirt, leaving you in your corselet and pants. It was hot, too hot for restricting clothes. You picked up a knife and threw. It hit the target with a satisfying ‘thunk.’ You were dead on. You threw another, and another, until you had thrown all nine knives. You went to the target to draw them out, before going back to your place by your table. You three again, and again, working up a sweat as your body fell into the rhythm. Your anger ebbed and flowed like waves washing over you, just when you thought you had calmed down, you felt it rise back up again. You began to talk to yourself as you threw. “Damn bastard,” throw. “He’s an archaic” throw. “Patriarchal” throw. “Little bitch.” Throw. You yelled as you leased the last four knives in quick succession. 

You went to gather them again, again pulling them from your target and placing them back on your table. “How dare he!” You yelled as you lined up the knives again. You heard a knock at the door. “What!” You yelled, already far past hiding your anger. You couldn’t see the door at the top of the stairs from where you were standing, but you could head Djin’s voice. “Miss Ran?” He called, and you growled, throwing a knife straight into your target. “I’m a little preoccupied at the moment! What is it?” You yelled, throwing another. You heard Djin falter, “Er, Miss Ran, if you could simply stop for a moment, I believe.” Another loud ‘thunk’ sounded as you hit your target again. “I’m really not in the mood right now Djin.” You yelled, “I’m going to gut that man like a goddamn fish for even making her look...” Your words devolved into a growl as you threw another knife at your target. “Miss Ran, you have a guest!” Djin yelled, his voice incredibly strained. You laughed humourlessly. “Oh, by all means, send them in. I’m in a lovely mood for a meeting.” You said, perhaps scaring the spirits out of someone was exactly what you needed. “Woman’s worth.” You mumbled as you perfectly hit your target once again, hearing footsteps descend the stairs behind you. You really didn’t care who it was, likely some report from the feild this late at night. “Want to see a woman’s worth, Asshole?” You asked incredulously, striking the target perfectly on center again. “Talk to her like that again!” You yelled, throwing another. “Please, councilman,” you said, fully wrapped up in your anger. “Give me.” You grunted, leasing a knife right into the chest of your dummy. “A reason!” You yelled, throwing your final knife right between his legs. You sighed, rolling your shoulders back and looking up at the ceiling. You ran a hand through your already messy hair, strands hanging around your face despite your effort to tie it up. You walked straight to your target to retrieve your knives, not looking to see who was waiting for you. “Have a seat, why don’t you?” You called, “I’ll be with you in a moment.” You growled as you pulled knives from your target. A throat cleared behind you. You went completely still. “You’re good at that.” Lin said, and you cringed a bit, turning around with knives in your hands to find her staring at you with a brow raised. You chuckled nervously, “Ah, thank you. Cheif Beifong, I wasn’t expecting you.” You said, quickly placing the knives down onto the table and turning to face her. You saw her eyes rake up and down your body, and you only then realized what you were wearing, or rather, weren’t wearing as you looked to your shirt that had been tossed to the floor. “Why is it that every time you come to my house I end up without a shirt, Miss Beifong?” You asked her, sighing and rolling your head from side to side. Your upper back tended to get tense when you were upset, and anger was no different. Lin blushed, looking back up from your cleavage to your face. “I’m sorry to intrude.” She stated firmly. “You left in such a rush, I wanted to make sure you had gotten home alright.” She said, taking a step towards you. You cleared your throat and nodded. “I did, thank you.” You glanced away from her. “I’m sorry to have left so quickly,” you chuckled. “Unfortunately, I seem to have inherited my father’s temper when it comes to certain things.” You tried to smile at her. She looked at you curiously. “He didn’t insult you, I’m suprised it upset you so much.” She said, taking a step towards you. You swallowed and shook your head. “I don’t get angry when people insult me.” You said, meeting her eyes. She looked confused. “Then why the knives?” She asked, glancing to the freshly massacred dummy. You sighed. “I only grow angry when people hurt someone I care about.” You admitted. Lin’s jade eyes widened, she looked at you closer, taking another step towards you. “Is someone you know unable to have children?” She asked, and you laughed ruefully. She already knew what the answer was, you both did. You were simply dancing around the words.

You looked into her eyes, you knew she would break you, you knew that you wanted to tell her the truth, you wanted to give her everything. “Are you going to make me spell it out for you?” You asked her, your head tilting slightly. She continued to stare. “You, Lin.” You sighed. “I was angry because he spoke about you that way.” Lin looked shocked once again. It surprised you how clueless she could be when it came to certain things. The woman was brighter than any you knew, and yet she had no idea you meant her until you said it, it appeared. “You were angry on my behalf?” She asked, and you nodded. “But he was right.” She said, and your heart broke slightly. “What?” You asked her, shocked. Lin Beifong was many things, she was strong, and gorgeous, and incredibly worthy of everything, however it would seem she had been convinced otherwise. She looked ashamed. “About having children, I wouldn’t give him children.” You shook your head. “If you didn’t want children, that was your choice.” You said, and she shook hers again. “He wanted them, I said no. That was the end of it.” She said firmly, setting her jaw. “But he had no right to speak to you that way.” You said, feeling the anger begin to rise in you again. “Y/N,” she started. “He’s right, I don’t want children, and many people won’t want me because of it.” She continued. Her stance was firm, however her eyes seemed to betray the sadness that lingered behind them. “You really think that?” You asked her. She nodded. “You think that you are somehow lesser because you won’t have children?” You asked again. “In some ways, yes.” She said. She was so sure, her words almost tore through you. You shook your head, packing up the knives in their roll before heading towards the door. “Come with me.” You said. She followed you. You went up the stairs to the ground floor, then up again, turning at the top of the staircase to head to the east wing of the building. You passed paintings on the walls and various art and sculptures, the whole mansion was decadent, however you paid it no mind, you had grown up running around these halls after all. You saw Lin glance at several things along the walls, however you kept moving. You arrived at the second to last door on the left, and stopped. You sighed as you looked at the door. It was still difficult for you to enter certain rooms of the house, but you would do it, you would for her. You opened the door to reveal a beautiful bedroom, decorated in blue and lavender silks, with a painting of a beautiful woman hanging above a white marble fireplace. The room was a bit dusty, it was almost never opened any more, and the canopy above the bed had become more of a shroud over the years. You stepped into the room shakily, standing opposite the painting. “What do you think of her?” You asked, nodding to the painting above you. It was a water tribe woman, with very long flowing hair, wearing a blue traditional gown with long, billowing sleeves and beautiful jade jewelry. “She’s beautiful.” Lin said, almost taken aback. You smiled up at the painting. “She was.” You said sadly. The woman’s blue eyes shone through the painting, looking like a sea of glass against a tan face. “Do you think she looks like a worthy woman?” You asked Lin, and she scoffed. You looked at her, raising a brow. “Are you serious?” She asked you. “She’s one of the most stunning women I’ve ever seen. She looks like a goddess in the flesh.” She continued. You nodded again. “She was even more striking in person.” You said. “She had constant proposals, from all over. I remember letters being sent to her from her home in the northern water tribe.” Lin nodded, someone like that would.” She said, and you smiled. “That’s my aunt.” You said softly, and Lin looked at you. “The healer?” She asked, and you nodded, “She was my best friend.” You said sadly. 

Lin took a step closer to you, and you leaned into her slightly. “There was not a single man who met her who didn’t want her, there were rumors that we were related to princess Yue, the Moon spirit, even.” You said, smiling up at the painting. You continued, “You know, the funny thing is, many thought of her as the epitome of a woman, even those who knew, in fact, most knew, she never hid it.” Lin quirked a brow at you. “Knew what?” She asked. You chuckled lightly. “My aunt, the epitome of womanhood, was barren.” You said, and Lin’s brows shot up. “It was well known, and yet not a single person thought of her as less because of it.” You said. Lin looked back up at the painting, and you looked at her. “There is nothing that can define us but ourselves, Miss Beifong.” You said to her, and she looked to you again. She was so close, so incredibly close to you. You felt yourself begin to lean into her naturally, but you pulled away. You went to the door, opening it for her. “Thank you.” She said quietly as she left the room. You nodded. “You don’t need to thank me, not for that.” You said. The two of you walked back to the main part of the house. Before Lin stopped. “Yes?” You asked as you turned to her. “You make me feel different.” She said. It was simple, just as plain as that, but you knew what it meant. You stopped, stopped moving, stopped breathing, the whole world seemed to stop around you. She took a step closer, and you just stared at her, then another. She continued until she was nearly pressed up against you. “No one has ever tried to defend me before.” She said. “Certainly not to Tenzin.” She continued. You swallowed. “I’m sorry if I was too forward.” You all but whispered. She looked into your eyes, as if she was once again looking into your soul. “Y/N.” She whispered, and you felt your heart race. “Lin.” You warned. You could feel your walls breaking down. Her eyes glanced from yours to your lips, to your heaving chest, back up to your eyes. You could feel the last reserve you had be stripped away. “Come with me.” You said, turning down the hall, she followed right behind. She stopped at your bedroom door, but you went to the door past it. You flung it open, immediately turning on the sconces on the wall, but the light was still dim. Lin gasped as she walked in, looking around the room. There ware canvases everywhere, each one painted or partially painted. In the corner, there was draped fabric and a pile of pillows. You led her into the room, going to the corner and adjusting the pillows and various fabrics. You heard Lin stutter behind you. “You’re...” she started. “You’re going to paint me?” She asked you, and you turned to face her. You walked towards her without an answer, wrapping your arms around her shoulders as hers wound around your waist, pulling you into her. She kissed you deeply, pulling the tie out of your hair and running her fingers through it. You poured yourself into her, bringing your hand to cup her cheek, running your fingers gently over her scar. She gasped as you did so, allowing you to kiss her deeper. Her hands wound tighter into your hair, causing you to groan into her. You were dizzy from kissing her but you didn’t care, you kissed her until you had to pull away for air. You looked deep into her eyes. “If I may,” you began. “I would like to paint the most beautiful and worthy woman I have ever known.” You breathed. She looked at you in shock. “I...” she stuttered, and you stared into her eyes, waiting for an answer. She didn’t say anything, she simply pulled you into another kiss, dragging the very last bit of self-preservation you had out of you.


	10. To Ink A Goddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You couldn’t let Lin see all of you, but you let her see how you saw her, and you worshiped her regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this might be the closest to smut I have ever written. Oh my. I would very much appreciate any thoughts or criticism you have, thank you so much!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Scars, light smut, past mental abuse

You pulled away from Lin just slightly, enough to enable yourself to breathe once again. The woman took this as an opportunity to kiss your jaw, then your neck, down to where your neck met your shoulder, causing you to gasp out desperately. You could feel yourself burn under her touch, you wanted her, you needed her, but even like this, you couldn’t have her. The second your corselet came off, it would be over. Everything would be over. You were proud of the tattoos you had marking your back. The giant dragon winding it’s way along the back of your pelvis and your spine, it was a sign of power, a sign of respect for those who had come before you. You were dragon clan, the leader of the dragon clan no less, and you were not ashamed of it, but as Lin’s hands grazed your hips, you wished that your markings did not mean what they did. You stepped away from her, causing her to look at you startled. “I’m sorry,” she stuttered, “I didn’t mean, it’s just that I thought that...” you cut her off again with a kiss, this time causing her to take a step back, then another, backing her into the wall. She gasped when her back hit the wall, her metal armor producing a soft clang as her body fell against it. You pulled away again. “Take it off.” You said. It was gentle, but it was a command nonetheless. You saw her swallow deeply and nod before doing so, bending the armor off, with the arm pieces going first, being set on the floor next to her, then her chest plate, leaving her in a white tank top and armor on the bottom. You couldn’t help yourself as you lunged forward again, running your hands along her sides, causing her to groan as you kissed and bit her neck, blowing cool air over her as you pulled away. “Spirits, you’re stunning.” You mumbled, running your hands along the muscles of her firm back and down the sides of her ribs. She blushed deeply as you pulled away once again, allowing her to bend away the bottom half of her armor. Her black tight fitting sweatpants caused all the air to leave you, instantly making you completely desperate for her. You almost laughed in your need, causing Lin to flinch and look at you strangely. You noticed her expression change, she pulled back, receding into herself. You instantly stopped. “Lin?” You asked her, “what’s wrong?” You said quietly, serious in that moment, as much as you wanted to have fun with her, you did not want her to regret anything. She swallowed and looked at you, seemingly hurt. “I know I’m not very feminine, but you didn’t have to laugh.” She said, straightening up. You instantly pulled away, horrified at how she had felt. “No, no, I wasn’t laughing at you, please.” You felt yourself practically beg, you had to swallow down the sudden emotion in your throat. You took a breath, trying to slow down. “Lin, I was laughing at myself.” She looked at you confused. You sighed as a small smile found its way onto your face. “I was laughing at how desperately I want you, Lin.” You said. “I wasn’t laughing at you for not being girly, I was laughing at myself for being so taken aback by how strong and incredibly beautiful you are.” You said quietly. Lin looked at you for a moment, examining your face. You sighed again. You took a step closer to her, causing her to look you up and down, but you took her hand, placing it over your chest. You shuddered at the contact, causing Lin’s brows to shoot up, but you cleared your throat and looked into her eyes. “I know you can tell when I’m lying,” you started, and she looked at your hand on you, suddenly aware of how strongly your heart was beating. “So listen to yourself,” you said, “please.” The last word came out like a desperate whisper. 

You didn’t know what this woman had done to you, but you would give her everything, and happily. “I am desperately attracted to you.” You said, and you could hear her gasp as she realized you weren’t lying. You closed your eyes, tilting your head back slightly as you leaned into her hand ever so gently. “I want you,” you started, swallowing half way through your sentence, “I want you so, so badly.” You rasped out, her hand flexed slightly and you groaned at the contact. You could hear Lin’s breath hitch once again. “I want you just the way you are.” You whispered, “exactly as you are.” Was all the rest you could say. Your eyes snapped open, looking immediately to her, she was breathing heavily, and you could feel your heart break as you noticed the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “I,” she started, not knowing what to say. You shook your head, “you don’t have to say anything.” You started, “as long as you know that I’m telling you the truth.” You whispered to her, she nodded immediately and pulled you close once again, a single tear escaping her eyes. You reached up, placing your hands on either side of her face, and pulling yourself to her. You kissed her eyelids gently, whipping away the tears as you did so. You could feel her sigh into you, and you knew you would give anything for her. You pulled away again, leading her over to the corner. You sat her down gently, straddling her lap and kissing her once again. You groaned as her hands ran along your thighs, up over your hips, but you jumped when she reached your corselet, placing your hands on top of hers and bringing them behind her to her sides. She gasped as you leaned into her, laying her down in the nest of blankets and pillows, all carefully draped seemingly just to fit her. Your hair fell to the sides of your face as you continued to kiss her, from her lips, down her jaw, to her chest. Her hands immediately shot to your hair, pulling you closer to her, “Y/N,” she gasped out as you kissed a certain spot just above her collar bone. You smiled, doing it again, this time sucking ever so slightly on the spot, causing her to groan and pull your hair. You gently raked your teeth over it, causing her to gasp, before you pulled away. You sat up, still straddling her, giving you a perfect view of the incredible woman laid out in front of you. Her hair had quickly become a mess, fanned out on the pillow she was laying on, her eyes were dark and dilated, her cheeks flushed red. You could see a few red marks already on her pale skin from where you had been kissing her, and her chest heaved up and down, she was practically panting beneath you. You smiled at her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You are so, incredibly, perfect.” You said, causing her to blush deeper and look away from you. You placed you hand on her chin, turning her back to you and kissing her gently, quickly. It was a reassurance, even a promise. You stood up above her, walking over to pull a blank canvas from a cabinet. She watched you as you gathered your supplies. A brush, an ink pot, and water. You sat down in front of her, putting your canvas on a floor easel and kneeling in front of her. She watched you as you opened the ink, dipping your brush in the water, then the ink itself. You looked at her with a critical eye, but not a judgmental one. It made her squirm and you smiled again. “Are you alright?” You asked her, gently, you would stop if she asked you to. The intimacy of the moment was heavy, she was laid almost bare before you, letting you make something of her, the way you saw her. It was, in many ways, the most intimate thing you could do with a person, and you hesitated. You stopped to make sure she was alright with it. “Yes,” she nodded, her voice even raspier than normal. “Yes, I’m alright.” She said, and you could feel your body react to her voice. She seemed to smile, and you knew you had blushed at her. “I like when you blush.” She said, and your eyes went wide. You chuckled slightly, “thank you.” You said softly, looking back over her once again. 

You reached for her hands, bringing them up over her head. She gasped as she realized what you were doing. “Y/N...” she said, and you shuddered when she said your name, your eyes closing for a moment as you breathed deeply. You opened them and let go of her arm. “Too far?” You asked her, and she swallowed. “No.” She said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. You smiled down at her. You brought one arm to frame her face, having her almost lay on it, while the other laid above her head. It was a vulnerable position, that was certain, but you watched in a amazement as she still exuded power in it. “I’m awed by you.” You said quietly, pulling back to wet your brush once again. She blushed even deeper. “I don’t know why.” She said, and again you stopped. You looked at her dead in the eyes. “Because you are different from anyone I have ever met.” You said, without a trace of hesitation in your voice. Her eyes widened slightly once again, and you continued. “And you are stronger, and more beautiful than anyone I’ve ever seen.” You spoke, and looked back to your canvas. You brushed one long line of ink onto it, following the curve of her body. She watched you, her eyes creating a blush on your cheeks and along your throat. She smiled a bit, and you felt your breath hitch slightly. You made line after line, each one a long, defined stroke of ink. “And you are more powerful, in every way, then anyone I have ever heard.” You said, continuing to paint line after line, creating details along her body. She continued to watch you as you painted her, and you felt yourself grow redder and more desperate as you did so. “You are greater than anyone I have ever felt.” You said, your voice rasping on the words. You looked back down at her, and she was staring at you still. Her chest heaved with each breath as you worked, her eyes trained on your steady hands and your own sharp eyes. You made a few more lines, nearly finishing the piece. Ink painting was by far your favorite medium. The pieces always carried such meaning, such intimacy in each stroke. They were quick and simple to make, but by far had the most beauty in them, at least as far as you were concerned. “Y/N,” Lin said, pulling you from your focus. “Yes?” You asked her, your eyes once again meeting hers. “Can I...” she hesitated, causing you to look at her more closely. She squirmed under your gaze, and you smiled. You capped your ink and water, laying the brush down on your easel. “Don’t touch.” You said to her as you moved it away. You crawled closer to her, on your hands and knees, causing her to nearly whine. You chuckled slightly, but this time it didn’t cause her to flinch. Her hands reached for your corselet and you pulled them away, tutting as you did so. “What did I say?” You said to her, still smiling. She looked up at you as you leaned over her, pulling her into you. She gasped as your hands roamed up and down her body, your lips once again claiming hers. She groaned as you pushed her shirt up, and pulled it over her head. You explored the new skin with care, taking time to kiss along each and very scar, causing her to gasp once again. “You’re my goddess.” You said to her, causing her to gasp, and press herself to you. You smiled up at her before you lowered yourself, her hands once again burying themselves in your hair. You stayed with her all night, never letting her to close to you, but giving her all you had. You worshiped her.


	11. Guests at Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin as well as another show up unexpectedly for breakfast, leaving you in quite the quandary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you all like this chapter, let me know what you think!
> 
> \- V

You woke slowly, the sunlight from the large window in the room streaming in and hitting your face. You were in your studio. You stared at the ceiling for a moment before you realized there was weight over your body. Not only that, there was warmth all over your body. You looked down to find Lin nestled against you, her head laying on your chest. Her arm was strewn across your torso, and one of her legs laid across yours. You breathed a sigh of relief when you realized you were still in your corselet, you had not given yourself away. She didn’t know. You felt a rush of emotions as you realized she couldn’t know, no matter how much you wanted her to. In many ways, you were complete opposites, enemies even, according to some. You ran organized crime on a larger scale than she could imagine, and she took you and other leaders down whenever she could. She was good at her job, great at it, actually. Her honesty and integrity left you in awe of her, but they were the very reasons you couldn’t tell her. She was good, she was morally right, and justified, and good, and you were, well, you were you. You smiled sadly down at her, she was still asleep, nestled into you so perfectly. You brought one of your hands to her hair, playing with it gently while she slept. Time was frozen for a moment. You felt like you were just you with her, simply Y/N, not the dragon, not Orchid, not the Ran heir, you were just you. You felt a tear slip down your face, but you smiled at her anyway. Her silver hair practically shone in the morning sun. You pet her gently, occasionally toying with a strand or two. You sighed deeply as she stirred, nuzzling into you for a moment before her entire body went still. You could feel her tense on top of you, suddenly much more rigid. “Lin?” You said, wondering if she was awake. In an instant she sprang up, pinning you to the ground with one of her hands pinning your arms above your head and the other around your throat. You looked at her in shock as you felt her grip tighten slightly. You coughed as she straddled you. “Li-“ you tried, only to realize that speaking wasn’t going to work very well for you at the moment. Just as soon as it had started, her hand let go. You met her eyes to see fear and shock on her features, her eyes glancing from you to the room around both of you, back to you. She sprang backwards, immediately pulling herself off of you and stumbling onto her back. “I..” she started, horror on her face. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.” She choked as you cleared your own throat, rubbing your wrists as you rolled your neck. “I didn’t know where I was and I felt someone on me..” she said, panic rising in her voice. You shook your head, “Lin.” You said calmly, your voice easy and low. “I’m so sorry Y/N, I swear on the spirits I..” “Lin.” You cut her off. She stopped talking only to continue to stare at you, “Lin, it’s alright. You just startled me.” You said, smiling kindly. She looked like she could burst into tears at any moment. “I know,” you said quietly. “I know what it’s like to wake up in a strange place, and I know why it scared you.” You said, sitting up straighter. You stood and walked over to her. “I know.” You said quietly, “it’s ok.” She hadn’t hurt you, only pinned you down, she hadn’t even really squeezed you neck, only held you there, however you had no doubt that her hands could do some serious damage. Lin continued to look at you with uncertainty and you just smiled. You offered your hand to her and she took it to stand up, gasping in surprise when you pulled her into a hug. You held her tightly, stroking her back gently. With as long as Lin had been Chief of police, you were certain that she had had quite a few nasty wake-ups far away from home. She sighed and finally relaxed into you, just letting you hold her. You hummed gently as you stroked circles on her back, tracing patterns until you felt her breathing even out. You gave her a gentle kiss as you pulled away, capturing her lips for a single, soft, moment. 

“Would you like some breakfast?” You smiled, and you felt your heart flutter as she chuckled lightly. “Yes, please, Y/N.” She laughed, and you couldn’t help but laugh with her. You helped her find her pants and went to your room to get her something warmer to wear than just her tank top. You came back with a large, oversized sweater you liked to wear when it was cold, handing it to her gingerly before pulling a robe of yours around yourself. The house was yours, and it was unlikely that Djin would be up and wondering about, however it was brisk in just your corselet and underwear. You fluffed your hair away from the collar, exposing your neck for a moment and sighing as the cool silk touched your skin. You glanced over your shoulder to see Lin staring at you, and you smirked knowingly. “See something you like Beifong?” You asked her, and she all but snapped to attention, causing you to laugh. She blushed deeply and you beckoned over your shoulder, asking that she follow you to the kitchen. You walked down the hall and flights of stairs in a gentle silence, and you couldn’t help but smile at how easy it was. It was so easy with her. You had lived a life where things were hard, but not with her, with her, it made sense. You opened the kitchen door, walking in and looking into your ice box. “Well, I’ve got eggs, those are technically considered breakfast food.” You said, “I know I have rice and noodles, or I can reheat some dumplings, or I can make something else if you prefer.” You continued, turning to face Lin. She was smirking while looking you up and down, causing you to raise a brow. “Can I help you?” You said to her, causing her to snap out of it. “I know you can cook, but it’s still surprising to me that you like to.” She said, walking to your side. You chuckled slightly, looking her up and down in your clothes. It had quite the effect on you, and you tried to hide your bush as you turned away. She chuckled and you sighed as you realized you had been caught. “Saw or felt?” You asked her, knowing both your face had colored and your heartbeat had picked up. “Both” she replied, smiling. You loved her smile, it was surprisingly easy, especially now. “Well” you started, “What shall I make for you then?” You asked her. She looked sheepish for a moment, causing you to pause. “It’s a crime.” You said before you could stop yourself, causing her to look at you suddenly. “What is?” She said, stiffening. You looked away, trying to remember you could not care for this woman. “That you’re not used to being taken care of.” You said, turning back to the icebox. You got out the eggs and some rice, as well as a few avocados. “What are you having?” She asked you, ignoring your comment. “Rice with eggs and avocado,” you smiled. “I’ll probably put too much soy sauce on it too.” You laughed as you turned on the stove, getting a pot to cook the rice in. “The same then, please.” She said firmly, and you smiled as you turned to her, “of course, sit.” You said, gesturing to the stools at your island bar. She sat there as you cooked, talking lazily about various things. The conversation went from food, to work, eventually to bending. “Your father could bend, couldn’t he?” Lin asked you, and you nodded. “He was a fire bender.” You said, stirring the rice before turning around to face her. “But you’re like your mother, neither of you could.” You hesitated for a moment, fear striking you, you couldn’t lie. “No, neither of us bend.” You said cautiously. You shook your head. There were things you couldn’t tell her, and there were things you couldn’t tell anyone. You finished breakfast and dishes it out, Lin sitting while you stood across the counter from her. You gestured to her to try it, and she smiled after taking a bite. “It’s good, very good.” She said. And you felt yourself swell with pride. “I’m glad you like it.” You smiled, taking a bite of yours. You ate peacefully for a while, sitting with each other in silence. 

It was at that moment that a flushed looking Djin burst through the doors, out of breath and panting. You looked from him to Lin, back to him, mildly terrified at whatever was about to happen. He looked at you then her, then back to you. “Damnit, Ran!” He sighed, and you crossed your arms. “What?” You said, knowing full well what he meant. Lin looked like a cat deer in headlights. “I, you, you’re!” He sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re just like your father.” He said, shaking his head, and you chuckled a bit. “I have better manners.” You said, and he shook his head, still flushed “barely.” He grumbled. “We have a problem.” He said, and immediately you were at attention, your mind already whirling. “What?” You stated, your voice flat and emotionless, already moving towards him. “You have company.” He said, looking to the door. “What do you..” you started before trailing off. “Oh no.” You said, and you could see the annoyance on his face already. “Not him.” You nearly begged, causing Lin to look at you like you had lost her mind. “He comes every year.” He reminded you, and you shook your head, sighing as you brought your hands to your face. “It’s too early for this.” You said, already fed up with the situation. Then, as if on cue, a grumble you’ll be heard from the hallway, causing you to want to pull your heart out, it was only a matter of moments. Djin seemed to gain his mind before you did, causing him to gesture frantically at Lin, you looked at her, realizing that she was in just her pants and your sweater, with her hair still missed from last night and sleep. Your eyes went wide as you ran to her, quickly causing her to help as you unceremoniously shoved her into the pantry and closed the door on her. “Y/N, what are you do-“ you cut her off “you’ll thank me later.” You said, rolling your eyes. Then, in burst in a police officer, not just any, but Saikhan himself, looking very proud of himself as usual. You had to hold in a groan as he looked you up and down. “Miss Ran, it seems I’ve caught you at a, should I say, exposed moment.” He smiled, and you barely managed to smile back. “What can I do for you, officer?” You asked, already wishing he was gone. “Well, I simply wanted to check in on you, considering it is that time of year.” He said, and you clenched your fist behind your back. “Thank you, officer Saikhan, but I am quite alright.” You said, realizing that Lin could see you through the slats in the pantry door, you turned to just catch her eyes for a moment, although you were sure she was confused, most likely with that brow of hers raised. “If there’s nothing else I can do for you...” you started, only for Saikhan to cut you off. “You must get lonely in this big house.” He said, causing you to stiffen and Djin to cough in an attempt to remind him that there was another present, well one other that he knew of. “I’m quite alright, thank you.” You said, “I prefer the quiet.” You told him, standing awkwardly. “Well, if you ever needed company, or something more, I’d be happy to help you, Miss Ran.” He said with a smile, causing you to all but shiver. “I don’t believe so, but I appreciate the offer.” You nodded decisively, casing him to huff before he looked between you and Djin. You cleared your throat. “I really should be getting ready for the day, thank you for visiting.” You said with a quick smile, causing him to look slightly offended before he bowed slightly to you. “Of course, Miss Ran.” He said, and Djin led him out. You let Lin out of the closet, holding your finger to your lips until Djin had come back in. “I think that’s a record.” He said, causing you to laugh. “Will it never end!” You yelled in jest, before looking to Lin. “He’s been doing this since I lost my parents, Djin and I take bets on how long it will take to get him to leave, he tends to, well, linger.” You said sheepishly, causing Lin to quirk a brow. “You shoved me into a pantry?” She said, seemingly unamused. You blushed, “I had a feeling you wouldn’t want him to see you in my clothing.” You said, looking down.


	12. Blood Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The triads would make their move, the question was, what would happen once it began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brutal, I’m telling you now. It may have also been one of my favorites. I have been waiting to write this one a long time, so please let me know what you think, as always, I love comments and constructive criticism!
> 
> \- Love V
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: attempted assault, violence, bodily harm

Lin Beifong would be the death of you. You sat in your office looking over reports of the recent activity in your area, specifically anything the Triads had done. They had calmed down since their little stunt the other night, aparently not being able to kill you had been a blow to their ego. You rubbed your temple as you looked over the numbers. You had taken a substantial amount from the triads when you took over their territory, and there had been no moves to take it back, at least, not as of yet. You saw Djin pacing as you set down the file, raising your brows In question. “Well, out with it.” You started, “You clearly have something to say.” You remarked as Djin paced back and forth around the room. He sighed in frustration. “I don’t know what you’re doing.” He said, shaking his head. You tilted your head to the side, something you had aparently inherited from your mother, you had been told it was frightening if you did it without speaking, however Djin knew you well enough. “You’re going to have to elaborate on that.” You said to him. “I’ve been over the plan for the Traid moves quite a few times.” You said to him, and Djin turned to face you, disbelief on his face. “What are you doing with that woman?” He said. You were still for a moment, you knew who he was talking about, there was only one person it could be really. He continued. “She’s the Cheif of Police! For Raava’s sake, you’re going to get yourself into trouble, or worse!” He practically yelled. He was right, you both knew he was right. You sighed, propping your head on your hands with your elbows atop the desk. “I...” you started, only to realize you had nothing. “I don’t know, Djin.” You said, looking up at him. “She, it’s hard to explain.” You sighed, shaking your head. “She makes me feel normal.” You finally said. “She makes me feel like a normal person, I don’t know why.” You laid your head back on your hands. You only looked up when you heard Djin step in front of you. He was standing over you, with sadness in his eyes. “Y/N, I’ve know you since you were little, you’re practically family to me, but, you can’t.” He spoke, looking dead into your eyes. “As much as I wish you could be normal, you can’t. None of us can.” He looked away from you, into the fire and you followed his gaze. He was right, he was absolutely right, but that didn’t make it any easier. You went back to your files as you scoured for information. The Triads were, in general, not incredibly intelligent, however the fact that they hadn’t responded yet had you concerned. You had Ping, so that took a major player off the feild, however as long as Zolt, Viper, and Shin had any power, they had to be perceived as dangerous. Mobs were not fun, that was for sure. You looked over the information you had been given again, just searching for something, anything. There had to be a connection. You found it odd that they had been so bold as to attack you so close to the Police station the other night, even if it was some lower level members. It was almost like they didn’t care what happened. After Lin had whisked you away, and the gallery, you had been informed that you were cleared on self defense, naturally, however it was odd that you had found them there in the first place. You had moved the orphanage closer to the police station, but there was no way they could be that reckless, anyone who went to attack it now would stand no chance of escape, they would have to not care for their members at all. 

You felt your heart rate spike as you started to put it together, the Triad didn’t care about their members, they weren’t loyal at all, that was one of the reasons they had trouble growing. If they knew that those men would be caught, why would they have been there in the first place, it couldn’t have been a coincidence. You felt yourself gasp and stand as you realized. Djin immediately looking back at you. “Y/N?” He questioned, and your eyes went wide. “It wasn’t an accident.” You said to him, your voice breathy. “What?” He asked. “They attacked me coming home, it wasn’t an accident.” Djin shook his head “They were right by the station, what do you mean it wasn’t an accident?” He questioned. “They don’t care,” you said, you could feel your heart drop through the floor. “It’s not a battle to them, their men aren’t really theirs.” You whispered. Djin looked at you concerned, “Y/N, what are you saying.” He asked. You felt the air leave the room as you spoke. It was just one word, but it meant that no matter what you did, the children weren’t safe, and there was almost nothing you could do. You looked to Djin with terror in your eyes, “Kamikaze.” You said. Djin looked at you in shock. You both jumped as your phone rang. You picked it up, practically shaking. You heard words you were dreading. “Hey boss, I don’t know if it means anything to ya, but we got some lower level Triads on the move here.” You slammed the phone down and raced to your Satomobile, Djin a step behind you, you jumped in and sped towards the orphanage, buildings whipping past you on the way. You wanted to think it was impossible, that no one could convince their lower levels to do that, but if the Traids had lied to them, then perhaps. You felt yourself shake as Djin sped along the roads, weaving through traffic to get there, you had to get there. They were kids, you thought, just kids. They didn’t deserve this. You turned onto the street just as you saw four other vehicles turn as well, no. You couldn’t let this happen. Djin stopped right in front of the building, you leaped out of the Satomobile before he could even stop the whole way, running into the building. One of the caretakers yelled as you slammed the door open, startled. “Call the cops!” you yelled to her, dashing into the other rooms. “Everyone out, now! Leave through the back door, don’t take anything, just go! As fast as you can!” You saw kids start to cry as you tore through the place, racing back to the front room to find the poor caretaker on the phone, bumbling through her words. You grabbed the phone from her, pulling it to your ear. “I need you to send all the police you can to this address.” You said before giving the orphanage’s current housing. You heard a laugh on the other side. You wanted to scream, of course, police. The man said something about not being able to just send the police somewhere for no reason. “There is about to be a major gang hit at this address, please, send your men.” You said, desperately trying to stay calm. The man laughed again. “I don’t know what you’ve heard lady, but I’m not sending cops because you think gangs are after you, ok, crazy.” He laughed again. You tried not to scream. Your voice dropped low, dangerously so. “I want to talk to Cheif Beifong.” You said “Now.” You added and heard him laugh again before he said. “It’s your funeral lunatic.” You heard the line be transferred, aparently he didn’t care much for protocol, thank the spirits. You heard a woman clear her throat before a familiar voice said “What the Flamey-O do you think you’re doing calling and demanding to speak to the Cheif of Police. Who is this?” She said clearly unamused. There was a bang at the door. You pulled the phone away for a moment, “Damnit! Djin get on another line, call in everyone you can, I can’t take that many, and we don’t know how many more are coming!” You screamed, they were getting close, you heard kids yelling as they ran through the house. 

You pulled the receiver back to your lips. “Y/N?” You heard, and you wanted to sigh in relief before you heard another bang on the door. “Lin, it’s Y/N, I’m at the new orphanage, we’re close.” You yelled as you heard a window shatter. “Shit! Djin!” You called desperate for help. “Kitchen window!” You told him, and saw him run to the kitchen, flame already in his hands. You turned back to the phone “Triads, we’re about to be surrounded, they’re already in, hurry, please, spirits, hurry!” You said you could hear her call your name again but you slammed the phone down to turn your head to the door. The more you could keep out, the less were in the house with the children, you yelled to one of the caretakers to get them out back, and watched in relief as the last of the children were ushered out. However it was short lived. The door swung open, three men standing in front of you, and even more vehicles pulling up from what you could see, you looked to the men, trying to find a way out of this. The last thing you wanted to do was fight. It was true that you could, but a terrible price could be paid for it. Your mother had been the same, no one knew what she could do until the end, and even then, she was dead before she could face the consequences. “Please, gentlemen, I don’t know what they’re paying you, but you have to see this is a trap, the police are already in their way, the station is only three blocks from here.” You said, trying to remain calm. One of the men laughed “What’s this? Big bad Miss Ran isn’t so big anymore, huh? What’s wrong little girl, is it too scary outside in the real world for you?” He threw his head back laughing. You drew the knife at your hip and reached down your shirt to pull out another one. You tried to center yourself as you spun one in your hand, this was going to be tough, but you just had to hold out until the police got there. The kids were in the courtyard out back, the only way to it was through the house. You just had to defend the house. You ducked as the man launched fire at you, sliding forward to beneath his blast. You stopped just at his feet, knocking him off balance and climbing on top of him to slit his throat, you felt one of the men jump away, only to bend water at you from out of no where. You jumped back only to slip on the aftermath, landing on your back. You rolled to the side as a chunk of ice was hurled at you, springing up to your feet. Your eyes went wide as daggers of ice flew at you, and you ran from the entrance hallway into the playroom to the left, watching as ice landed in the walls and staircase across from the door. You pressed yourself against the wall, throwing yourself around it and on to the water bender, taking him out as well. You felt blood splatter across your face, the warm liquid spraying onto your shirt and neck as well, you heard Djin yell from the kitchen “Y/N!” Another window shattered as you saw five more men come through the front door, you didn’t have a choice. You stood in front of them. “Please, I don’t want to do this.” You said, begging them to go one final time. You heard police sirens but you could tell they were still a few blocks away. Another of the men grinned at you. “It’s a shame really, your dad was one of the best fire benders to ever live, but you ended up like your mom. You can’t do a thing.” He laughed stepping closer to you, more men came in and you were completely surrounded. Your heart nearly stopped. You had been here before, you knew what happened next. The last time you were surrounded you were with your mother and father. The last time your mother made her move too late. 

You didn’t have a choice, you told yourself there was nothing else you could do. “Please,” you begged. “Please don’t make me.” You felt another of the men grab you, tearing the sleeve of your shirt as he did so, forcing you to your knees. You couldn’t stop a tear from rolling down your face. “What’s wrong princess, no one here to save you?” One of them said. “She’s ours now, why don’t we see what we won.” He smiled, you felt one of them take a blade of ice down your back, ripping your shirt open. “Don’t!” You said, you just had to hang on. The men laughed and you were flung onto your back. A few went past you, further into the house. You felt your shirt be ripped completely off, then your pants. These men were savages, it was all about what they could have. You felt ice cut into you at your thighs, you screamed out. “Stop!” You begged, if you could just wait a bit longer. You felt one reach for the clasps on your corselet and you brought your arms up in front of you, you heard another window shatter, and the zip of a cable but it was too late. The men in front of you stopped moving. They couldn’t. You strained as you felt them all gasp out, trying desperately to move. Your eyes were not the only thing you had inherited from your mother. Your greatest secret, one only Djin and your parents had known. You kept the men still as you bent their blood, trapping them in their own bodies. You absorbed more and more men as they came into the house, tears running down your face from the strain. “Djin!” You screamed, your voice wavering from the effort and desperation. “Djin, protect the children!” You heard him call your name but you couldn’t process it fully. “I have them Djin!” You screamed, a sob escaping you. “Go! I can handle them!” You heard him run out the back door as you tried to hold each man that stormed the house. You heard someone gasp in horror and realized exactly what that zip of cable had been when you looked to your right. Standing there, watching you in shock, was Lin Beifong. You let out another sob, your head going back and you lost control for a moment, dropping your arms. You felt another ice blade slice into your leg, and immediately threw your arms back up as you screamed in pain. You were sobbing, you could feel yourself being pushed to your limit, your bending couldn’t be stretched much farther, and your body was loosing blood. You were half laying in a pool of your own blood, stripped to your underwear, desperately trying to keep the men at bay. You could feel them groan and strain, and you knew you couldn’t hold it much longer. You heard more cables and police sirens as cars pulled up to the building. You heard collective shouts and gasps of horror as officers walked in to find you controlling over twenty men. Your voice was raw and shaking, and you bearly could speak through your sobbing. “Cuff them! Please! I can’t hold them much longer!” You broke down again, officers gaping at you. “They’re going to kill the children, please!” You screamed, again faltering for a moment, feeling another blade of ice stab into you, the cold searing your flesh as you were ripped apart, and a few of the officers be attacked. You screamed again as you lifted your arms back up, holding them back once more. The officers began to cuff them, taking them away as fast as possible. Lin continued to stare at you, you met her eyes only to find hers shining with tears. “I’m sorry.” You sobbed, “I’m so, so sorry!” You heard someone call your name, but couldn’t look. 

The strain was lessened as more men were taken away, but the exhaustion and blood loss was taking its toll. “Y/N.” You heard Djin say beside you. “Oh, spirits, no!” He said, dropping to his knees. “Hold on, just hold on, it’s going to be ok.” You shook your head, tears streaming down your face. “The children?” You asked him, and you saw a few of the officers stare at you for a moment. Djin glared at them and you felt the heat rise around you. “Why do you think she would do this?” He asked them. Anger rolling off him in waves. “What is wrong with you! Get them out of here! She can’t keep this up for long!” He yelled and the officers got back to work. He looked up to see Lin staring at you. “Oh no.” He whispered, immediately knowing that the physical was not the only pain you were in. You sobbed more, your body shaking with each breath. Djin took off his jacket and laid it over your chest, covering you. Lin took a step towards you, betrayal still clear on her face. There were only a few men left to be taken away. You couldn’t speak any more, you felt nothing but pain searing through your body. Djin looked around desperately. “Y/N, hold on, I need to find something to stop the bleeding, just hold on.” You swallowed, but could no longer move, holding your arms in front of you to control the two remaining men was all you had in you. Djin ran to the kitchen, grabbing a few towels to try to at least slow the bleeding. He laid one over your left leg, applying pressure and causing you to scream out again in pain. Your right leg continued to bleed. “Damnit!” He yelled. “I need more hands! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!” He looked around, watching as only one man remained in the building. You felt yourself begin to fade. “Give me one.” You heard a voice on your right say, you looked away from the remaining man to see Lin kneeling beside you. You felt more tears flow down your face at the sight of her. Your heart broke. Djin handed her a towel and she laid it over the gash in your upper thigh, she applied pressure, leaning into you and causing you to cry out. You saw her try to bite back her emotions as you did so, and tried to quiet yourself. You were shaking and bearly breathing when you saw the final man be put in cuffs. You finally let go. Your upper body fell the whole way back, landing on the floor of the room. You heard Djin call your name, but it seemed far away. You felt another tear role down your face as everything went black.


End file.
